


Two for One

by TheCelestialPencil



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: (oh my god they were roommates), (very briefly in the first few chapters), Also for the premise to work Ling is 18 in this. Nothing else about him changes he’s just 18, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Greed will show up eventually I promise, Hurt/Comfort, Like. Listen, REAL slow burn. I will not hesitate to murder you w emotional blue balls, Roommates, Slow Burn, This is self indulgent trash but it’s a niche only I am willing to fill apparently, again: REAL slow burn in every respect, it probably won’t get TOO spicy but like. Greed is in it so, there will be a lot of hurt/comfort I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-10-28 21:31:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17795126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCelestialPencil/pseuds/TheCelestialPencil
Summary: Ever wanted a boyfriend who’s sweet, funny, and secretly a badass? Ever wanted a boyfriend who’s a charming, sexy bad boy who secretly just wants to be loved? Ever wanted them BOTH at the same time?? No?? Well shit I guess I wrote this whole story for nothing





	1. Falling and Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn’t read the tags:  
> For the premise of this story (you, the reader, through a series of absolutely buckwild shenanigans and twists of fate end up in a relationship with both Ling Fullmetalalchemist and the demon that lives in his body) to work Ling is now 18. Absolutely nothing else changes about the character because he never looked or acted his canon age in the first place  
> (Source: I go to high school and 15 year old boys are almost universally goblins. Ed is saved from this thanks to Alphonse’s careful supervision, but not everyone is so lucky.)

Rush Valley was a nice city. Far out from the hustle and bustle of Central, but with a bustle all its own— the whir of machinery sung throughout the roads and alleyways, a symphony of clanking metal reverberating out from the many automail shops lining the streets. 

By all accounts it was a beautiful day, the slight breeze on the air managing to offset the high temperature typical of the area as the sun rose to its peak, bright against a clear blue sky. However, it didn’t seem so beautiful to you right now, wind rustling your hair as you trudged along the side of the road clutching 3 very large, very old, and very heavy books in your trembling arms. 

You thought back to the face of the librarian as you had checked them out, her nervous smile masking a veritable torrent of concern and disbelief. In the moment you had dismissed her unspoken concerns— now, well, you weren’t too sure. You gulped, thanking god for the cool breeze and promising yourself a long nap as soon as you got back to your apartment. 

That was when your toe hit the rock. 

“Wuaghh!” A scream escaped your weary lungs as you scrambled to regain your balance, sending up a cloud of dust as you finally toppled onto the dirt road below. “Ouch...” you blinked the sediment from your eyes, face growing hot with embarrassment at the gasps that arose from all around you. Quickly you attempted to rise from the street, pants smudged with dirt and grime. Good thing your shirt had been protected by the... 

wait. 

You glanced down slowly, hesitant to even check. The first two books remained clutched in your arms— the third however, much to your dismay, had slid about a foot away from your collapsed body. What’s more, it had fallen open to allow a few bits of loose leaf and miscellaneous research notes to be caught up by the wind, floating lazily along the unpaved road.

“Wait, no!” You shouted in panic, scrambling to your knees as you frantically attempted to collect all of the books in your dust-streaked arms. This panic only intensified as you watched the papers drift further from your grasp. “Ah— the notes!”

You sighed in relief as you saw a hand pluck the runaway sheets carefully from the air. “Woah, that was quite a tumble there! Need a hand?” The figure approached you, his voice chipper and tinged with an accent hitherto unfamiliar to you. You looked up to see him extending his free hand, offering assistance.

Your cheeks burned red in embarrassment. “Oh, uh, thanks! Sorry for the trouble!” You stammered, grabbing onto his outstretched palm lightly as his fingers closed around yours, lifting you up from the street. 

“Oh, no problem! I get it, I’ve collapsed like that more times than you can count.” You let out a breathy chuckle, not knowing whether to be concerned by his admission or to take it as a joke as you shifted the books in your arms, still somewhat dazed from your fall. 

“Oh, and thanks for catching my-“ your voice faltered as you glanced up at your rescuer, getting a good look at him for the first time. He was tall, his features youthful and defined as he smiled cheerily down at you, both eyes closed. His sleek black hair hung over the right side of his face, tied in the back in a long ponytail which trailed lightly in the breeze. You felt yourself swallow involuntarily. Damn. “...pages.” 

He released your hand, holding out the retrieved notes before pulling them back slightly, eyes fixed on one of the sheets. “This is Alkahestry, isn’t it?” 

“Huh?” You blinked, confused. He studied the page for another moment before responding. “Yes, I believe in this country you call it alchemy.” 

“Oh!” You chirped in recognition, quickly straightening up your posture. “Yeah, it’s alchemy. They’re for some research I’ve been doing. Why do you ask?” 

He paused for a moment in silence before handing you the notes, smile returning to his face. “Why don’t we discuss this more over lunch? I’m starved!” Your face turned hot, and you could only hope that you weren’t flushing the color of a ripened tomato. Was this guy asking you out on a date? Your mind buzzing with confusion and excitement, you managed to nod your head in a quick, jolted motion. 

“Uh huh!”

-

It was not a date. Your own fault for getting your hopes up, the back of your mind whispered harshly, though you tried your best not to let that line of thinking get you down too much.

You sat at an outdoor table across from the stranger as he stuffed his face with a vast multitude of dishes, the three books separating you as they spread their contents out over all the surface area that wasn’t occupied by the mountain of food opposite you.

You sighed, supporting your chin with your hand as you waited for him to finish his meal. “Guess you weren’t kidding about being starving, huh?” You said, your mellow tone offsetting the sardonic bite of your comment. He didn’t seem to notice, simply nodding as he swallowed the last bit of the drumstick he’d been gnawing on. 

You found yourself drumming your fingers on the table, having already finished your meal, left to ponder how hard you’d have to work to pay off your tab after this. As hot as this guy was, this was decidedly not worth the trouble. 

Suddenly, you were snapped back into reality by the clinking of plates, realizing that your companion had finally finished his meal. “Ah, that’s much better! I thought I was going to pass out from hunger there for a minute!” He smiled brightly, his expression making your annoyance with him falter. 

You straightened up in your chair, trying to look like you hadn’t been mentally trash talking him for the last few minutes. “So, you were interested in my research?” You said, leaning forward with your elbows pressed to the table. 

He nodded, a mellow smile gracing his lips. “Yes. You see, I came to this country from Xing to do research into alkahestry— what you here call alchemy.” 

You leaned back on your chair, eyebrows raised. “Wow. All the way from Xing, huh?” You chuckled, scratching the back of your head nervously. “I’m not sure why you’re bothering with me, then, having come all this way. I’m just researching alchemy for a few personal projects.” 

“Well, some help is better than none.” You looked back up at him quizzically as he leaned in closer, chin resting on one of his hands. “Tell me... are you an alchemist yourself?” He questioned. 

You blinked, shrugging your shoulders humbly and training your gaze down at the table. “Well, I suppose, but I’m not very good. I’ve always been capable of it to some extent, but up until fairly recently I was just way more focused on my other areas of study, and I guess I ended up neglecting my natural talent somewhat.” 

You paused for a moment in silence before jolting your chin slightly upwards to face the stranger. “Oh, how rude of me!” You extended your right hand, smiling sweetly. “I’m (Y/N). Glad to meet you!”

The stranger returned your smile, grasping your hand with his own. “My name is Ling Yao. It’s a pleasure.” After a moment your hands unclasped, yours knitting together with the other on your lap, his once again supporting his chin as he leaned over the table. 

“There’s actually something else I wanted to ask you.” He said, his warm smile abruptly fading into a more serious expression. 

You gulped. “And what would that be?” 

“Have you ever heard of...” his usually closed eyes opened, punctuating the latter half of his query. “The philosopher’s stone?” 

You blinked in surprise. What would this guy want with a philosopher’s stone? “Well... yeah, I’ve heard about it. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into its capabilities, in fact. Why do you ask?” 

His smile returned in full force, immediately easing the tension introduced by his earlier query. “Wonderful! I knew you’d be a great help!” He rose from his chair, pressing his hands to the surface of the table. “Would you mind sharing some of your research with me? I’d love to have a look at your findings, if you don’t mind!” 

Your eyebrows rose in surprise at Ling’s enthusiasm. “A-are you sure? I mean, I’ve told you I’m not exactly a professional here, I’m still pretty new at this stuff.” 

You bent down from your chair, picking up a piece of limestone about the size of your palm and using it to draw a transmutation circle onto the surface of the table, followed by placing the stone itself in the center. “See, this is about the extent of what I can do right now...” You pressed your hands to the symbol, creating a feint crackle of blue sparks. All at once the limestone began to reshape itself until it came to resemble a small, humanoid statue. 

You took a breath, wiping a few droplets of sweat away from your forehead as you plucked the reshaped stone from the table and turned it around to face Ling. “Look, it’s you!” You chuckled, cracking a feint smile. 

Ling leaned in, inspecting the object closely. Sure enough, the tiny sculpture did resemble him in striking detail. “See, I don’t really know all the elements and stuff that’s involved by heart yet, so without my notes handy I can’t really do much more than reshape what’s already there. I’m really sorry...” You said apologetically as Ling took the statue in his hands, looking at it intently. 

His bright smile returned. “Are you kidding? This is fantastic! It’s so detailed!” You felt your cheeks flush at the praise, hugging your arms together subconsciously. 

“Well, regardless of your skill level, I’d still appreciate you letting me look over your work.” Ling said, his expression warm. “And can I keep this?” He continued, lifting the statue once more. 

You chuckled. “Yeah, sure, go nuts!”


	2. Pros and Cons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) makes a shocking discovery— this guy she’s been helping research alchemy is surprisingly ripped!
> 
> Oh, and he’s also a prince.
> 
> Might’ve been good to know that a little earlier, but she’ll make do.

The sun rose to its shining peak in the remarkably clear blue sky as you hurried down the busy Rush Valley streets, careful to watch your step this time lest you trip and dirty the outfit you’d put together just for this occasion. 

Held tightly in your arms was your personal notebook, detailing your findings thus far in relation to the study of alchemy, most notably your research into the philosopher’s stone. Also mixed in there were some poems and drawings of unicorns, but those were less important. 

Already a couple days had passed since you and Ling had had that first lunch together and, having wanted to share with him what you yourself had discovered about his topic of interest, you had been quick to propose a second meeting at the same place sometime soon. Now, thanks to the extra time you had taken to perfect your *look* in preparation, you were going to be late to the meetup that you yourself had suggested. A wasted effort to begin with, the back of your mind hissed, with someone this clearly out of your league.

“Oh, god damn my perfectionist bullshit!” You muttered irritably as you grew closer to your destination, shoes crunching frantically against the unpaved road as you hurried along. “He’s going to think I forgot, and then he’s going to just give up and leave, and then he’ll go back to Xing or whatever, and then I’ll never get to see how ripped his arms probably are under that jacket!” 

You felt your cheeks flush, shocked at your own exclamations. You quickly glanced about to make sure no one else had overheard your ramblings, chastising yourself for your indelicate thoughts regarding someone who was practically a perfect stranger. Not registering any strange looks in your direction, however, you continued to press on, soon catching sight of the restaurant through the thick midday traffic of the busy town. 

All around you automail mechanics were showing off their wares, their chatter filling up the oil-perfumed air as you pushed through the crowds, soon catching sight of the table where you and Ling had sat together last time. It was empty. 

You stopped in your tracks, a jolt of anxiety coming alive in your chest. Had he really given up on waiting for you? Or had he just forgotten? Your brow tensed and you raised your chewed-down fingernails gently to your lips as you pondered the alternative— that you’d made him hate you somehow without realizing, and that he’d just been pretending to want to see you again. As outlandish as it was, the mere possibility filled your heart with dread. 

Hesitantly, you began to advance towards the table when your vision was blocked by an imposing figure, rushing by with little consideration for your whereabouts. 

“Oh!” You yelped in surprise as you were shoved absentmindedly by the pedestrian, stumbling backward and beginning your descent down to the pebble-strewn terrain below. You shut your eyes tight, twisting your body to land on your stomach and bracing your arms in front of you in preparation for impact. 

“Woah, hold on there!” Suddenly, you felt your body land not against the unpaved earth, but against... 

your eyes opened, suddenly becoming intimately aware of the two hands clasped around your upper arms, firm but tender. “We need to get you a helmet for walking around town, with all this falling you keep doing!” No kidding. 

You found your forehead pressed up against Ling’s chest, your body having been caught in his (surprisingly strong) arms. His hands were warm against your somewhat chilled skin, the sensation sending a pleasant shiver down your spine. His chest was pleasantly warm too, the rhythmic thump of his heartbeat barely reaching your sensitive ears as he supported you with his body. 

In that split second of realization, all your mind could do was run through a brief list of pros and cons—   
Pro: at least with your head pressed so close to his chest, Ling won’t be able to tell how completely red your face has gotten.   
Con: holy shit.   
Pro: this is kind of cute, right? Like, can’t you just picture this happening in a romantic comedy?   
Con: Holy Shit.   
Pro: his chest is like, really firm. This guy is built, and isn’t it kind of nice being so close to his Buff. Shirtless. Body.   
Con: HOLY SHIT!!

“(Y/N)?” You felt your heart skip a beat as Ling’s voice cut through the dizzy haze of panic swimming fervently about your stupid, clumsy skull. Yeah, you’d probably been leaning limply against him for a bit too long. 

You jolted back, pulling away from him and holding your notebook out in front of you, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “S-s-sorry about that, anyway I brought the book so let’s go have lunch now!” You stammered out at a breakneck pace. 

Ling appeared stunned for a moment before smiling at you gently. “It’s fine, sorry if I startled you. Now, let’s hurry up and eat!”

-

Ling ate just as much as he had yesterday, but after that earlier incident, your annoyance seemed to just melt away as you tried not to stare at the shirtless chest peaking out from underneath his open jacket. 

The discussion of your findings regarding the philosopher’s stone went particularly smoothly— in fact, you found you quite enjoyed the feeling of having someone hanging on your every word. Hours passed as if only minutes before a lull in the conversation left open the opportunity for Ling to make a particular query.

“So, (Y/N), you haven’t come across any information on where to find a philosopher’s stone, have you?” 

“Huh?” You looked up, sensing an uncomfortable sincerity in Ling’s tone. “Oh... well, not yet, but...” you swallowed, lowering your voice as to not attract unwanted attention. “between you and me, I have been looking. It’s so strange, the rumors surrounding these things— they’ll crop up, and by the time you actually get into the meat of them, they’ve dissolved away into nothing.” 

He nodded, the motion uncharacteristically solemn. “Can I ask you another question?” “Shoot.” 

Ling was silent for a moment before opening his dark eyes as he made his query. “Why do you want a philosopher’s stone?” You felt a shiver run down your spine, realizing you probably should have hesitated more to give so much away. 

The lengthening shadows danced across the table, your hands wringing around each other nervously as you struggled to come up with a decent response. Finally you looked up, meeting Ling’s eyes as you cocked your head to the side innocently. “Well, why do you?” 

“Oh, well that’s simple-“ suddenly, he began to take notice of the darkness creeping over the city, the hours having slipped by unnoticed as your conversation had lingered on and on. “Oh, it’s getting late! I really should go find a place to stay the night!” 

You blinked in confusion. “Wait, you don’t have a place to stay?” 

“Well, no, but I’ve been doing alright.” He smiled lightheartedly, rising from the table and beginning to saunter off into the growing darkness. “Let’s do this again a couple days from now. I look forward to-“ he was cut off by the sound of the notebook being slammed shut, and the jostle of your chair as you leapt up to follow him. 

“Hey, wait! I’m not going to just let you sleep wherever!” You said adamantly, Ling turning to face you. “L-look, I’ve got an apartment not far from here. There’s a spare mattress that I keep around in case I have guests, and an extra set of blankets.” You stammered out, struggling to maintain eye contact. “It’s not much, but it’s yours if you want it. Also, given how much I’ve been paying to feed you I’d be royally pissed if it turned out you could totally afford to stay in a 5 star hotel this whole time.” You rushed out the last part, swallowing hard as you finished saying your piece. 

Ling paused briefly before a ridiculous grin began to spread over his face. Oh, boy. “Oh, that would be wonderful! How very kind of you, taking in a perfect stranger in his time of need!”

“O-oh, it’s no trouble! I just don’t want to think about you having to fend for yourself in a foreign country all alone, y’know?” 

“Hm? But I’m not alone!” 

You blinked, surprised. “Then who-“ you were cut off as you caught a twinge of motion in the corner of your eye, coming from the shadows off to your right. 

“Ah, here they are now!” Ling chirped, turning to face the mysterious shapes in the blackness. 

“Master Ling!” A girl’s voice cried out. Two figures emerged from the darkness, both wearing black attire equipped with hoods and masks to obscure their faces. 

You stepped backwards, alarmed by their clothing. “W-who-“ 

“(Y/N), this is Lan Fan.” Ling said, gesturing to the shorter of the two. “And this is Fu.” He gestured to the other one, whose silver mustache poked out past his mask. “They’re my personal bodyguards.” 

“Master Ling!” This time it was the elder figure who spoke. “You cannot keep wandering off like this! What if you were to get into trouble?” Suddenly the old man caught sight of you, peering past Ling to meet your frightened expression. “And who... is this?” It was strange, but the way he looked at you... it reminded you of the way you’d examine the contents of an icebox for the source of a foul odor.

“Fu, this is (Y/N). She’s been helping me with my alkahestry research, and she’s just offered to let us stay with her while we’re here!” 

“Wait, hold up!” You interjected, holding your arms out with your palms flat. “So you’re telling me you can’t pay for your own lunch... can’t find a place to sleep... but you can afford two personal bodyguards?” You said, a twinge of annoyance in your voice. 

Ling looked back to face you. “Well, yes. I am the emperor’s son.” He said, smiling serenely. 

“The... the em...” You stammered, color draining from your face. “So that would make you...” 

a prince. You had just offered your spare mattress to a prince. 

“Well, no time to lose! Which way is your apartment?” Ling said, cheery as ever. 

“Uh... west...” You said, your voice shaking slightly. 

“Alright then!” Ling said, setting off with his two bodyguards in tow. For the moment you simply stood motionless in the street, completely stunned. You had just offered your spare mattress to a prince. 

And he’d said yes.


	3. A Place for a Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N)’s reoccurring nightmares from middle school are finally validated when she realizes she’s just invited an actual, literal prince to stay in her messy apartment.
> 
> Could this really be no place for a prince after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: And They Were Roommates!

Your mind seemed to race at a mile per minute as you trudged down the dirt streets, the city set aglow by sunset. Behind you, following attentively in your careful footsteps, was an actual, literal prince. A prince who, for the last few hours, had sat patiently as you rattled off all manner of facts and figures concerning everything from basic transmutation to the philosopher’s stone itself. 

You turned your head, shyly peeking over your shoulder to assure yourself that he was still there— sure enough, you saw him, his gentle features bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun. 

You felt your shoulders tense involuntarily as he noticed you staring, meeting your gaze with a pleasant smile. You let out a small gasp, turning to face forward as quickly as you could muster. However, you were evidently not quick enough as you heard the sound of light footsteps behind you, glancing to the side to see Ling approaching to your right, having broken away from the company of his bodyguards for the moment. 

As he reached your side his pace slowed to match yours, walking beside you with a carefree smile. You gulped, sweat beginning to bead on your forehead. Damn, just a few minutes ago you’d been asking this guy if he wanted to room with you in your shitty apartment, and now his very presence was reducing you to a nervous wreck! 

“I do hope the truth of my identity hasn’t made you uncomfortable .” Ling said suddenly, making you jump. 

Your heart thundered in your chest as you turned to meet his gaze, attempting to crack a convincing smile. “What? Me? Uncomfortable? Don’t be silly!” You said, followed by a chuckle that might have lasted about 3 seconds too long. 

Ling didn’t look convinced. 

You sighed, training your eyes on the dirt. “Okay, I’ll admit, it is a little... weird, considering I’ve been talking with you like you were just an ordinary guy for the past few days, and then suddenly, boom! Prince!” You said, miming an explosion with your hands. 

Ling chuckled at your phrasing, his expression gentle. “Well, I hope this won’t change how you think of me. It’s really not all that big a deal...” he said, turning to look out into the neon-flushed sky. 

“Really? You being a prince isn’t a big deal?” You said with a slight smirk, raising an eyebrow in his direction. 

“Well, let me explain. My country is made up of 50 different clans, all ruled by a single emperor. The daughter of each of the clan’s chiefs becomes one of the emperor’s wives, and bares his children. The current emperor has 19 daughters and 24 sons, so me being one of them isn’t very special, really.” Ling said matter of factly. 

You blinked in surprise. “Wow, that’s... a lot. So wait, out of that many kids, how do they decide who becomes the next emperor?” 

“Funny you should ask, that’s actually why I’m searching for the philosopher’s stone in the first place. You see, the emperor’s health has begun to deteriorate recently.” He explained, his smile fading as he relayed his situation. “Every clan has been doing their best to get on his good side, for the sake of their place in the line of succession. If I were to discover the secret of immortality, then I’d have a sure chance.” 

“Oh... okay...” You said, unsure of how to even respond to this deluge of information. “Well, I’m sorry about your dad, I guess...” 

“oh, we weren’t close.” 

His comment hung stagnant in the air for a moment, the oppressive silence broken only by the crunch of your feet against the dirt road. This was uncomfortable. You were uncomfortable. 

“Well, uh, 50 wives, huh? That’s neat. That wouldn’t have anything to do with why you want the emperor’s spot, would it?” You chuckled, trying to break the serious atmosphere. 

Instead, Ling faced you with a rather offended expression. “Of course not! I want to become emperor only for the sake of my clan.” He said, an unfamiliar bite in his tone. Oof, touched a nerve. 

“Only kidding, only kidding! Didn’t mean anything by it!” You said, laughing uncomfortably as you held your hands out in front of your chest. 

“Besides...” you added, scratching the back of your head in embarrassment. “...I know you’re not like that. You’re... you know, you’re a good dude.” You said, a feint blush dusting your cheeks. 

As Ling met your gaze, his brief flash of annoyance cooled, a slight smile gracing his lips. “Well... thank you, (Y/N). I’m glad you think so.” 

As he said that, you took notice of your apartment building along the automail-shop lined streets. “Over there!” You chirped, breaking into a light jog as you pranced over to your destination. 

“Don’t fall!” Called Ling, a smile shining through in his voice. 

“Duly noted!” You chuckled back, making sure you could see clearly where your feet were landing as you made your way to the stairs that lead up to your door. You climbed the steps, reaching into your pocket and digging out the key before twisting it into the lock. 

Your hand tightened around the tarnished brass doorknob, turning it as you pulled the door open. The aged hinges squeaked, making you grit your teeth in discomfort as you reached in to fumble for the nearby lamp— you’d learned over time not to try and enter the apartment before being able to see anything clearly, on account of the mess- 

Wait. 

You blinked as the gears of your mind turned for a moment, suddenly jolting in panic. Oh crap, your apartment was still a complete pig sty! 

“Everything alright?” You flinched as Ling’s cheery voice sounded from behind you, realizing very quickly that there was no getting out of this one. 

You gulped as you hesitantly resumed grasping about for the light source, trying your best to hide your embarrassment. “Y-Yeah, I just realized that I uh... well, you should know that I wasn’t really expecting to have visitors any time soon, so my apartment might be a little bit, er, untidy at the moment!” You stammered out, hand finally closing around the pull chain. 

You took a deep intake of breath, scrunching your eyes shut as you tugged gingerly on the mechanism. When you opened them, the sight before you sent a jolt of anxiety racing down your spine. God, it was even worse than you remembered it being. 

Stacks upon stacks of dust-covered alchemy books piled the floor, crumpled up papers and broken quill-pens littering the surface of anything that even came close to approximating a table. Bowls and dishes were strewn about haphazardly among the horrific aftermath of a hundred miserable all-nighters, the remnants of midnight snacks you’d either been too tired to clean up or had simply fallen asleep at your desk before dealing with. 

You flushed bright pink, mortified beyond belief at the state of the place. You put your hand to the door, tentatively pushing it open as you stepped over the coat that you’d accidentally knocked off of the hanger while rushing out of the house earlier today. 

Sensing Ling’s presence behind you, you spun around to face your body towards him. “Alright, in my defense, I live alone and my work doesn’t leave much time for cleaning!” You said with your gaze trained on the ground, unable to meet his eyes. 

When you finally peeked up again, he was staring out into the house, eyes wide in surprise. 

You sighed sadly, looking back down at the junk-strewn floor. “...I’m sorry. I’m just so used to it being like this, I didn’t even... I understand if you don’t want to stay here anymore. This is no place for a prince, anyway...” You said, hugging your arms together as the pit in your stomach grew. 

Ling looked down at you, taking notice of your profound anxiety and embarrassment. You flinched as you felt his hand touch your shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it! I’ve slept in worse places since we left Xing. This will do just fine.” He said, smiling reassuringly— if you didn’t know better, you might have thought he looked a bit anxious at your current emotional state himself. 

Your grip on your arms loosened as a feint smile crossed your lips. “You’re sure you’re not mad?” You asked, chest tightening in anticipation of his answer. 

“Of course not. There’s no need to be upset.” He said, the certainty in his tone soothing away some of the fear that had been building in your stomach. 

“Well, that’s a relief...” You said, exhaling a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. Nevertheless, as you glanced back over to the piles of unruly clutter choking up the living room the sight kicked an anxious energy boost into high gear. 

“S-still, I don’t want you to have to deal with my mess, so I’ll get to cleaning up the apartment first thing tomorrow.” You said, straightening up and hurrying inside. “C’mon in— I’ll go get the mattress!”

You let out a contented sigh as you stepped further within the apartment, its comforting familiarity filling you with a sense of ease despite your embarrassment at the state of the place. 

“There’s some leftover takeout in the icebox if you get hungry!” You called out behind you as you rushed down the hall, kicking off your shoes as you neared the shag carpeting that covered the floor of your bedroom. There came a delighted gasp from the living room, followed by the sound of tumbling books and a pair of cautioning voices. You cracked an amused smile, hoping that the kitchen wasn’t in too rough a shape. 

As you entered your room, you were relieved by the refreshing lack of clutter— it was understandable, given that you usually tried not to bring your research in here, and half the time you just ended up falling asleep on the couch or at your work desk anyway. 

Your eyes rested on the mattress wedged snugly beneath your bed, the only solution you’d been able to conceive of for keeping the object free of dust. You inhaled a deep breath of the room’s familiar scent as you rolled up your sleeves, descending to let your knees meet the soft carpeting below. 

You tugged tentatively around the edges of the mattress, letting your weight rest on the balls of your feet. It had been hard enough getting the thing under there in the first place, so removing it was sure to be a challenge. 

You grabbed tight, sucking in a sharp breath through your teeth as you pulled hard on the fabric to no avail. Damn, it was really jammed under there, huh? 

You shifted your weight nervously from side to side, not wanting to have to ask for help from your new guests already. But the alternative... maybe it would be alright, if you didn’t overdo it. You glanced about quickly, making sure no one was around before grasping the mattress and closing your eyes tight, your muscles tensing... 

vwooosh! The mattress was finally wrested from the tight space beneath the bed. 

Your heart beat wildly, making your body tremble in a fervent, anxious panic— damn, you’d forgotten how much you hated doing that. Your breathing heavy, you began to relax your body back to normal. Even then, the unease lingered.

Your grip on the fabric had just begun to soften when you heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. You shot up to your feet, spinning around to face the approaching figure. 

Ling appeared in the doorway holding a small loaf of bread, half of which he had already eaten. That wasn’t from the icebox. “Did you... did you eat everything in the icebox already?” You said, slightly dumbfounded. 

Ling looked down at the bread in his hand. “Yeah.” 

You raised a hand to your temple, letting out a long, slow sigh. There went your dinner for the next couple days. 

“Okay, so I know you’re probably not very familiar with living on a budget...” you looked up at his quizzical expression, hugging your arms together as you said your piece. “But listen, if you’re going to be staying here, you can’t... I’m gonna need you to show a little restraint. I don’t get paid enough to provide 4 course meals every day.” You said, trying to look a bit more assertive than usual. 

“Oh, how could you be so cruel!” Ling whimpered melodramatically, slumping onto the bed. 

You stifled a giggle at his exaggerated performance. “Alright, how about this— I’ll see about fitting some extra portions into my budget... if you promise to help around the house from time to time.” You proposed, cocking your hip to the side as you relaxed your stance. 

Ling looked up at you, slightly perplexed. “I’m not sure I know how to do that.” Right. Prince. 

You sighed, sitting down beside him on the bed. “Well, I guess I could teach you. I mean, I’m going to be doing a lot of cleaning up in the next couple days anyhow...” Ling remained silent as he pondered the possibility. You began to wring your hands nervously. “L-look, I know it might be below your standing and all, but I could really use the help. Please?” Your shoulders tightened in anticipation of his answer. 

“Well... I suppose I could give it a shot!” He replied, his smile betraying a hint of uncertainty. You felt a hesitant smile pass over your lips as well, your gaze wandering over to the mattress lying flat on top of the shag carpeting. 

Suddenly, you were struck with a realization. “Oh right, your bodyguards! Where are they gonna sleep?” You said, clapping a hand to your forehead in dismay. “This couch turns into a bed!” You heard the old man call from the living room. 

You blinked in surprise. “Huh. Didn’t know it could do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god they were roommates......


	4. What It Was For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) realizes she’s put herself in quite the sticky situation as conversations arise that she’d rather not have, and questions are posed that she’d rather not answer.
> 
> Also Ling takes his jacket off in this one and you get to read about his muscles. You’re welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this is the one where the plot properly begins. Have fun >:3c hehe

“There, that should do it!” You said as you stepped back from the mattress, its surface covered neatly by a set of soft sheets and the three fluffiest, puffiest pillows you had been able to find.

Ling had wandered off again, leaving you to your work— a fact you were grateful for, because you’d have been pretty embarrassed if he’d been there to see you struggling with the fitted sheet, and even more embarrassed if you’d have been tempted to ask for his help with such a simple task. 

You gulped as you looked down at your handiwork, wringing your hands together subconsciously. It looked plenty comfortable, sure, but for a prince?  
You stood there a moment longer before turning away, attempting to dispel the worries with a quick shake of your head. It was getting late, and you should really have been in bed more than half an hour ago. 

You padded over to the dresser, clasping the knob of the bottom drawer and yawning as you pulled it open to retrieve your favorite striped pajamas.  
The sight sparked in you another realization— Ling hadn’t brought any pajamas, had he? You bit your lip pensively, wondering if any of yours would even fit him. You reached into the drawer, rummaging around until you found the pair you thought would most closely approximate his size.  
You tucked them under your left arm, tossing your own pair onto the bed as you stepped out into the hallway. 

“Ling? I was wondering if you needed to borrow some paja-“ you were cut off as you caught sight of him, his back facing you as he stood in front of the old brick fireplace.

He appeared lost in thought, his eyes passing over the multitude of picture frames adorning the mantle. You stood there in silence for a moment before he turned to face you, smiling pleasantly. “Oh, hello, (Y/N)! I was just having a look at this photo here.” He said, pointing to the picture in the center. 

Your chest rose slightly as you took in a sharp breath. “Oh yeah, you saw that one, huh?” You said as you forced a slight smile, fidgeting with the fabric wedged under your arm as you walked over to his side. 

Inside the frame was a small photograph of a family— two parents, one of whom was resting their hand lovingly on the shoulder of a boy who appeared to be about 12 years old. Outwardly he appeared somewhat annoyed by the attention, but the crinkle of his cheek as he bit the inside slightly to keep from smiling told a different story. The other parent’s eyes shone with pride, holding in their arms a little girl who couldn’t have been much older than 3. She appeared to be attempting to wriggle out of their grasp towards a nearby child’s ice cream cone. 

The sight of the picture made your chest tighten. “My family. That little girl there is me— this is from back when we all lived nearby Pendleton.” You said softly. 

Ling nodded slightly, his gaze traveling over the rest of the mantle. “Did you draw all of these?” 

Surrounding the portrait was a multitude of framed sketches of your family members, usually showing them doing something like reading or sewing, occasionally even just smiling warmly. 

You reached out, picking up a small picture of your brother and tilting it in the lamplight, the orange-tinted glow flashing against cold glass. “Yeah. I’ve only got the one picture... rushed move, y’know?” You said, chuckling slightly before setting the picture frame back on the mantle.  
“I don’t want to forget their faces, so whenever I miss them...” You trailed off, Ling looking over at you with a hint of concern. 

“(Y/N)-“ “Oh! Almost forgot!” You chirped— this was, after all, the absolute last conversation that you wanted to be having right now. 

You took the pajamas from under your arm, holding them out towards Ling with a slight smile. “I was going to ask if you needed some pajamas. This is the closest I’ve got to your size, though...” you said, scratching nervously at the back of your head. “I hope that’s alright.” 

Ling hesitated for a moment at your interjection before plucking the garments from your hands. His face brightened as he held them out in front of him to get a better look. “Oh, wonderful! I’ve missed being able to sleep this comfortably— that’s the problem with crossing a desert, there’s only so much you can bring along.” He said, turning the clothes about in his hands. 

“Looks like the pants will fit... the top I’m not so sure. Let’s see...” with that he began to slip off his jacket, pulling the collar back over his clavicle and letting the sleeves slide down past his toned biceps, exposing the entirety of his lean, well-muscled torso. 

You died. 

You just straight up died, right then and there. 

Okay fine, maybe you didn’t die. Instead, your eyes shot wide open as you watched him remove the garment, your face flushing bright red. Shock took hold for just a moment as you watched him toss the jacket away, common sense soon kicking in and baying you avert your gaze as he slipped on the pajama top. 

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” You glanced back to see Ling tugging on the open front of the shirt to no avail, finding it was too tight on him to button up. You gulped, hoping he hadn’t noticed you staring. 

Trying desperately to find something else to focus on, your gaze settled on the couch-bed where Lan Fan was sleeping soundly. “H-hey, uh, Ling?” You stammered out, still slightly shaken by the images that had now been seared forever into your brain, not that you were complaining. “Where’s Fu?” 

“He and Lan Fan like to take shifts keeping watch over me at night.” You turned back to face him as he spoke, just in time to see him slipping off the too-small pajama shirt to remove the bag strapped diagonally about his torso.  
You snapped your head back in the direction of the couch bed, your face growing hotter by the second. “Well, I think I’ll be fine sleeping without a shirt, anyway!” Ling said cheerily. I mean, pros and cons. 

You took a deep breath, attempting to steady yourself. “A-and you’re sure you’re alright with sleeping in my room? I could probably clear out a space for the mattress in here real quick, if you want!” You said, trying to suppress your nervous stutter. 

Ling looked over at you with a carefree smile. “No, it’s fine!” He said before pausing just a moment, watching as you nervously worked to avoid his gaze. 

“And, (Y/N)?” He said, his dark eyes opening as you turned to face him. “...thank you for this. For helping me. You have my gratitude, as well as the gratitude of the entire Yao clan.” He said, his voice warm and sincere. His tone sent a pleasant shiver down your spine. 

“O-oh, no problem!” You stammered, blindsided by the hefty praise. Your eyes flickered over to the clock, realizing how late it had become. “Oh, it’s late! I should get ready for bed!” You said, beginning to move towards your bedroom.

Ling’s eyes closed once more as he gave a sort of half wave after you, his calm smile growing slightly as he watched you scamper lightly down the hallway. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the reason why. 

-

Darkness covered the room like a blanket as you lied awake in your bed, the warm comforter pulled tight around you as you tried your best to drift off to sleep. However, despite your efforts, the day’s events swirling about your consciousness made that near impossible.

Just a few feet away Ling was sleeping, his silky hair cascading down about his toned shoulders. God, it made your heart pound just thinking about it. 

You buried your face in your pillow, stifling an anguished moan. No, you didn’t get to have this little crush. You needed to pull yourself together— this guy was a prince. There was a decent chance he’d end up as emperor of an entire country. And you? You were just... 

You let out a quiet sigh, pulling the covers tighter around you. Suddenly a feint ribbon of light poured into the room, emitting from the hallway as the bedroom door was gingerly nudged open. 

“Young lord!” A voice whispered harshly. Your body tensed, but you held still— it was only Fu. You heard Ling shift, awakened by the man’s insistent hiss. He rolled off of the mattress quietly, careful not to wake you as he slipped silently out the door. 

You could just barely make out their quiet voices from down the hall, your abnormally sensitive ears straining to hear the conversation. 

“Young lord, are you sure it is wise to place your trust in this girl?” 

“I’m can’t say I’m entirely sure... but I do not think she means us any harm.”

“You’ve felt it too, haven’t you? Her chi, it’s-“

“Yes, I know. Still, she’s been nothing but helpful to us so far. I say we take the risk.”

The old man sighed, and you felt your soul seize up with dread. Chi? What the hell was chi? How much did they know? 

You tried to swallow your fear as you heard the two making their goodbyes, Ling’s light footsteps nearly imperceivable as he reentered, quietly easing the door shut behind him. As he passed you he stopped, silent in the blackness. 

You froze, subconsciously taking in a breath and holding it as you lay perfectly still. After what seemed like an eternity his footsteps resumed, the mattress creaking faintly beneath him as he shimmied his way back beneath the soft blankets. 

You lied awake in your bed, Ling’s soft breathing eventually lulling you into a dream-rich slumber. Within them, you could feel your heart beating fast— you no longer knew just which emotion it was for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit’s getting real, friends. Hold on to your butts.
> 
> (Also there will be Greed content soon I promise ;-; stay tuned, Greed fans)


	5. Reason Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N)’s motivations are called into question.
> 
> It’s a good thing that’s the one question to which she can give a straight answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all, sorry for the holdup!  
> This one’s gonna be a little short, but it’s short and sweet, like a fun sized chocolate or a certain alchemist we know! I hope you’ll enjoy it :3

“And this is where the ones that I actually own go— I try to keep them sorted by topic.” You said as you entered the study, hoisting a stack of alchemy books onto one of the large, mostly-empty bookcases lining the walls.

Ling followed dutifully behind you, taking note of your instruction as you flitted about the messy room. “I say ‘try’ because they usually just end up in a big pile somewhere, but eh, what can you do?” Your tone was flatter than usual as you addressed him, your movements somewhat rigid as you continued to organize the volumes on the richly colored oak shelves. 

Your thoughts swam with scenes from the night before as you worked, your shoulders tensing involuntarily as you recalled the secretive exchange you’d been just barely able to make out in the darkness. Undoubtedly they hadn’t wanted you to hear them— what would it mean if they found out that you had? 

“Need any help there?” Ling’s voice made you jump, nearly dropping the book you had been carrying and fumbling with it for a few moments before steadying yourself. 

You looked up at him with a neutral expression, his once welcome presence now clouded with a new sense of apprehension. You shrugged, trying not to let your disquiet show through. “Sure, if you don’t mind.” You said noncommittally as you returned to the task at hand. 

As soon as Ling began to take part, the process of organizing the study sped up exponentially. Not only was he physically strong, his movements imparted a striking sense of poise as he worked his way through the untidy space. That, and he was actually tall enough to reach the top shelf of the bookcase. 

You let your gaze wander over him as the two of you moved methodically about the room, your own hands brushing lightly over the mess of folders and documents shoved haphazardly into one of your work desk’s drawers. 

He didn’t seem like a threat... at least not as far as you could intuit. The whispered conversation played over in your head once more, its last line echoing in your mind as softly as the steam that rises from pavement after rain. ‘She’s been nothing but helpful to us so far. I say we take the risk.’ 

“Aaand done!” Ling’s voice chimed from over your shoulder, again calling your attention away from your own internal dialogue. You turned to see the bookshelf completely filled, Ling’s satisfied smile even managing to soften your own intense expression, at least until the shock set in. 

“O-oh goodness! I didn’t expect you to- I mean, you didn’t have to-“ you sputtered out, mortified at how much work you had inadvertently placed on your houseguest. 

“No, no, it’s completely fine! This will make our research go much faster, right?” he chirped, unfazed. 

You raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Our research?” You said, extending the first syllable in an acerbic drawl. 

Ling nodded, clapping his hands up and down against each other to rid them of the dust that had coated many of the books. “Well, I do intend to help you with it as much as I can while I’m here. It’s only natural, seeing as we both have something to gain from your success.” He said with an air of certainty to his voice, his expression serene. 

You bit your lip pensively. Yeah, that made sense. And you were certainly glad for the help— when you moved here about a year ago you’d known that this would be tedious work, but you’d really expected to have gotten a whole lot closer to your goal by now.

“Well, alright... but just so you know, what I do is a lot harder than it looks.” You sighed, crossing your arms as you eased the drawer you’d been rifling through closed with your hip. “A lot of man hours, all nighters, dead ends... and papercuts, don’t forget papercuts!” You cautioned, trying to sound self assured as you approached a shelf just off to his right. 

“And remember, you’re not...” You continued, your speech softening slightly. “You’re not obligated to help me with this.”  
Ling turned to face you as you moved past, your change in tone catching his attention. 

“I’m not letting you stay here just to help around the house, you know. I’m doing it because you need a place to stay, and I have one.” You said, your fingers closing around the handle of the cabinet before you. “That’s reason enough.”  
You pulled, but the drawer refused to budge. Damn. “Ugh, why do these things always get stuck...” you muttered, annoyance prickling in your chest.  
Ling reached past you, making you squeak in surprise as you let go of the handle. You watched as he tugged the cabinet open, straining for only a second before his success.  
You looked down in embarrassment, mumbling a quick thank you before beginning to flip through the files.

“So, you’ve really got nothing to gain from this?” Ling’s tone was calm, masking the slightly accusatory nature of the query. 

You looked back over your shoulder at him, hoping he couldn’t tell that your pulse was picking up. “Yeah. I like to help people when they need it— novel concept, I know, but I have my reasons.” You said, pausing your work on sorting through the notes. Ling tilted his head to the side with a slight smile, inviting further explanation. 

You sighed, turning to face him. “It’s just that I... I didn’t have a place to stay, either, once. W-well, technically I did, but it was...” You winced at the memory. “A-anyway, someone helped me, and it really made a big difference in my life. So, now I’ll help you.” You sighed, hugging your arms together subconsciously. 

“Well, that’s certainly a noble sentiment!” Ling chuckled.

“Yeah, well, call it what you want. I’d call it pure dumb luck on your part.” You said, cracking a slight smile. Suddenly, your eyes caught on a stray bit of fuzz clinging to the fibers of his jacket. “Oh, one second, there’s a-“ Without thinking, you reached out to pluck it off of his shoulder. 

He flinched.

He flinched back slightly as you reached out towards him. The motion made your hand withdraw, and your face fall.  
Even after all you’d said, he wasn’t convinced. He didn’t trust you. 

You knew why.

You looked down, mustering up all the courage your quickening heart could manage. “...I don’t know what chi is, Ling...” You breathed out softly, looking down to avoid his gaze. “...But I know you don’t have to worry about mine.”

You glanced up, catching his startled— if controlled— expression.  
As you stared into his eyes (a rare opportunity) you thought you could see something change about the way he looked at you. 

It made your heart beat faster.

You locked eyes for a moment longer before you could see his begin to wander over the rest of your face, a minute change, but noticeable nonetheless. 

“W-what, is there something on my face?” You stuttered, touching your cheek lightly. 

“Hm?” Ling paused a moment before his usual smile returned, his hands returning to the piles of papers still clogging the messy room. “Oh, it’s nothing! Come on, let’s not dilly dally any longer.”

You were about to respond when you heard your stomach growl slightly, realizing that it was coming up on lunchtime. “Oh! I’m so sorry, you must have worked up quite the appetite by now!” You said with a start, scampering out of the study and towards the kitchen. 

Ling called out a quick goodbye after you, his voice lost on your ears as you scrambled across the apartment. “Now let’s just see if there’s anything... left... to...” you trailed off as you stepped into the doorframe, eyes growing wide with shock at the sight before you. 

The kitchen... was clean. Gone from the stovetop was the multitude of unwashed pots and pans, the surface scrubbed to a glimmering shine. The sink, too, was empty— you could only assume that everything had been neatly returned to the oversized kitchen cabinet standing in the corner, not one of the doors of which was ajar. Your worktable’s surface appeared pristine, topped with a knife block and a neatly placed wooden cutting board. The entire room smelled vaguely of citrus. 

And there was Lan Fan, her legs folded beneath her as she sat attentively in a wooden chair tucked unassumingly in the corner. “Huh... buh... h-how?” You sputtered out, gesturing vaguely all around you with your hands. 

“I thought it would be best to have the kitchen well prepared.” She said, her voice soft but steady beneath her crisply patterned mask. She unfolded her legs and and rose from the chair, her posture immaculate, holding out a fabric-wrapped parcel towards you. 

“Oh?” You gasped lightly, hurrying over to her and taking it gently in your hands. Unwrapping it, you saw that it was full of various ingredients and foodstuffs. 

“For the young lord. He tends to get very hungry.” She said matter of factly. Your eyes lit up at the sight, glad that you wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of leaving the apartment to go find lunch that day. 

“Oh, thank you! This is perfect!” You said, setting the parcel down on the nearby worktable. “I can definitely make a simple stew with this, maybe grill up some of that pork later for dinn—“ 

Wait. 

You paused, shoulders tensing as you came to a realization. “Hey, uh, Lan Fan? How did you pay for these?”

“Oh... I didn’t.” 

Your fingers curled around the edges of the fabric as a jolt of anxiety shot through your chest. “Ah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More chapters coming soon! I’ve got a huge backlog of these, I just like to do a shitton of edits before posting and school is kinda kicking my ass rn. I’ll try and get as much done as I can on weekends, tho, so stay tuned!


	6. Quickest Way to the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ling might be convinced of (Y/N)’s good intentions, but there’s still someone she has to look out for.  
> Looks like stew isn’t all that’s on the menu tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Alphonse voice* FUCK YEAH!
> 
> It’s hard for me to write Fu but I try ;-;  
> Also Ling being a flirty boi is canon. Read the manga volume 8 page 164 for proof.  
> 100% Arakawa Approved™

The pot simmered away on the stovetop, the smell of rosemary and thyme wafting all throughout the house.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d cooked like this! The kitchen was usually far too cluttered, and you far too busy either with your research or your day job to bother with any _real_ meals.

The apartment was quiet, Ling busy napping while he waited for lunch to be prepared, and Lan Fan having been sent back to pay for all the food she’d... er... ‘borrowed’. Being implicated in a crime just might be the absolute last thing you wanted right now, or ever, really. Far too risky.

You let out a contented sigh, drinking in the scent of the meat and spices as you began to chop up the button mushrooms you’d need for the recipe.

“So... you’re an alchemist.” Your hand ceased its repetitive motion, Fu’s voice cutting coldly through the still air. It sounded like he was standing in the doorway behind you.

You swallowed slightly. “An amateur one, yes. What I’m really interested in right now is the theories behind it.” You said, resuming your hand’s steady motion around the handle of the blade.

“Is that your only occupation?” He said, as if conducting an interrogation.

“No, I’ve just taken some time off work recently to catch up on my research. I’ll be back at my post soon enough— I work for an automail shop near here, transmuting all the delicate little parts it’s too difficult or time consuming to craft by hand.” You replied, thinking back to the incredibly detailed little statue you’d transmuted of Ling— he had it displayed on your dresser right now, if you weren’t mistaken.

You could hear Fu shift slightly, leaning against the doorframe. “Does it pay well?”

“Not especially, but I’m hanging in there.” You slid the chopped up mushrooms off the cutting board with your hand, placing down a few more which you resumed quartering into small chunks.

You heard Fu shift again, though only slightly. “This is a rather large apartment. You say your job doesn’t pay well?” Damn, this was an interrogation. You would have to pick your words wisely— no doubt he’d be relaying this back to Ling later, the paranoid old piece of...

“Well, I did get some help when I first moved here— that got me out of the first year’s worth of rent.”

“And who gave you this help?”

Your knife thwacked rhythmically against the cutting board, keeping in time with your quickening heartbeat. “Oh, just someone I knew from my old town.”

You felt Fu’s steely gaze burning into your back. “A whole year’s rent seems pretty generous for just ‘someone you knew’.”

“Well, What can I say— the guy liked to take care of his posses-“ your fingers tightened around the handle as you froze for a moment, silently correcting yourself in your choice of words. “...associates. Good guy, really.” You breathed out, pouring the chopped up mushrooms into a nearby bowl.

Damn.

You could make out a barely audible ‘hmm’ from Fu as he rose from the doorframe, his footsteps light as he left your presence.

Your eyebrows knitted together as you silently cursed yourself, hoping that there was only so much he could get from your little slip up.

You poured the mushrooms into the pot, watching them sink slowly into the tantalizing brew. Just what the hell had you gotten yourself into this time?

-

“Want some more?”

You smiled as Ling nodded emphatically in response from across the table, having already finished his first helping of the stew you’d prepared.

You were relieved that the meal had turned out alright, given how rusty you were, though you had a pretty good idea of why that was— if alchemy was the scientific technique of understanding the structure of matter, decomposing it, and reconstructing it, then cooking was the culinary technique of understanding the structure of your ingredients, decomposing (chopping up, melting, mashing) them, and then reconstructing (grilling, baking, boiling) them into something you could eat with your mouth. Did that make sense?? Anyway, you might not have been very practiced in cooking, but you certainly understood alchemy.

You rose from your seat, stepping carefully over some of the piles of clutter that still choked the interior of your apartment. “Fu, Lan Fan, do either of you need any more?” You said, looking back over your shoulder at the two black clad figures sitting opposite each other at the table.

They shook their heads, too busy focusing their attention on Ling. Probably out of habit, you surmised, given the difficult situation surrounding the line of succession in their country— If he had ever been poisoned by an opposing clan, these two would certainly be the first to react. You shuddered at the thought, for once grateful that your childhood fantasy of being a princess had never been realized.

You reached down for Ling’s bowl, lifting it gingerly as you made your way over to the kitchen. “Give me just a second!” You said, feigning cheer despite being keenly aware of Fu’s eyes fixed on your back, regarding you with utmost suspicion. Damn, would he ever let up?

You let out a fatigued sigh as you entered the pristine kitchen, padding over to the pot and ladling out another helping of the tasty brew. It smelled delicious, rich with the scent of aromatic spices and tender beef, the sensation making your mouth water. And you didn’t even _like_ stew that much, I mean, who did? Wow, you’d really lucked out with this one— maybe this would be enough to fool your houseguests into thinking you were anywhere remotely close to having your shit together!

You hummed lightly as you returned to the dining room, setting the bowl down in front of Ling and moving to return to your seat. “Thank you!” He chirped, beginning to dig into his second helping. You smiled in appreciation, reaching over to grab a slice of bread from the basket in the center of the table.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s my grandmother’s recipe.” You mused as you gently tore in the bread in half, dipping a piece into the stew on your plate and letting it soak in some of the broth. “Maybe I should try and cook more often!” You chuckled as you prepared to bite into the stew-soaked bread.

Ling looked up from his meal, smiling brightly. “Careful, do that and I might just have to marry you!”

You took in a sharp breath in surprise, coughing as a bit of the food you’d been eating lodged in your throat. Well, at least now you could pass your flushed cheeks off as a consequence of the choking. After a brief moment you managed to swallow it down, looking up to meet Ling’s pleasant smile.

Was that a joke? Or was he making a move on you, like, for real? Surely not, I mean, you’d known this guy was way out of your league even before you found out he was an actual, literal prince.

Fu appeared to be looking disapprovingly over at Ling, but said nothing. You swallowed involuntarily, deciding to play it safe. “H-hey, don’t kid around, huh?” You laughed nervously. “Me, married to a future emperor? Pshh... right.” You fixed your gaze on the bowl before you, letting your anxious chuckles peter out as you resumed your meal in silence, your heart still pounding wildly.

If Ling had any reaction to your response, then you certainly didn’t look up to see it. You couldn’t risk calling attention to your beet red face.

Lunch carried on, Ling wolfing down at least three more servings before he was satisfied. As for you, you excused yourself after finishing only your first helping, once more focusing your attention to the arduous task of cleaning up the apartment.

Though your hands were hard at work sorting through all the scattered research material clogging up the hallways, your mind just couldn’t stop buzzing, lost in a cacophony of frantic chatter.  
had that been flirting? No, definitely not, the back of your mind screamed as your anxieties bubbled forth, set loose by the confusion of the moment. This was clearly just projection.

So what was that marriage comment, then? Some kind of sick joke? You raked a hand back through your hair, teeth hooking over your bottom lip. No, he wasn’t like that. Was he? You couldn’t really be sure of his intentions, not after last night, not after what you heard them say about you. Your chi, whatever that was.

He’d flinched from you.

He knew, you knew he did.  
No, no, he couldn’t, if he knew then he’d already be gone! You were safe for now, but if he found out... if you let your guard down...

You wouldn’t.

And you wouldn’t indulge these empty hopes, either.

You drilled it into your head over and over again as you sorted through the endless stacks of crumpled notes— he was a prince. He was attractive, wealthy (in his own country, or at least you assumed), he had status and, if fortune favored him, he would soon have an entire country under his control.

You were a child with a crush on a shooting star.

You sighed, your knees raw against the dusty hardwood floors. Yes, you were sure now— This silly little crush could only end in heartbreak, and your heart had been broken enough. You had to end it, strike it from your mind, and never look back.

You balled your fists in a silent pledge, your will firm and resolute. From now on, Ling would be nothing more to you than a temporary roommate...

who just happened to be totally jacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you know how in my bio I say I love making my characters kiss and/or cry? It’s not necessarily in that order >;3c


	7. Don’t Judge a Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) says some things she doesn’t mean. Or are they just taken in a way she doesn’t mean them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the last update for a while, I’ve got 2 school trips lined up one right after the other these next 2 weeks but I’ll try to write when I can :3 enjoy this extra long chapter in recompense!
> 
> Before you read, be warned: I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d murder you with emotional blue balls. Proceed with caution.
> 
> (Also giving the Greed fans in the audience a little something-something to hold y’all over until the main course...... please be patient I promise he’ll show up after I’m through with the domestic fluff ;-;)

You knew you were dreaming. You’d known that as soon as you saw his face. 

You didn’t lucid dream a lot— it wasn’t often your dreams were pleasant, either, at least not the ones that you could remember. But you did cherish these rare ones, though the knowledge that it would be over all too soon did make the taste of his lips a little bittersweet. 

Nevertheless, you wrapped your arms around him, burying yourself in his furred collar and leaning heavily against his toned chest as you let yourself be carried away by the heat of his touch. “There you are, (Y/N). I’ve missed you...” he rumbled through a sharp-toothed smirk as he leaned in to capture your lips with his own, sending delicious tremors racing down your spine. As always his kiss was rough, insistent, his tongue pushing deftly through the seam of your lips and rolling up hungrily against your own as he held you closer, like he just couldn’t get enough. Then again, he never could. What else did you expect? 

Fireworks burst in your chest as you felt him smile against you, an image of his familiar cocky grin flashing through your mind in response. “(Y/N)...” the words felt far away, echoing through your sleep-fogged mind as you melted into his arms. Why did this have to end?

“(Y/N)?” 

Your eyes snapped open as the voice rang louder, the morning light blinding as it shone through the curtains of your bedroom window. You gasped sharply, jolting your hand over your face as you adjusted to the cold shock of reality— it sent a pang of sadness through your chest. Right. Rush Valley. 

You blinked the sun from your eyes, glancing over to the side to glare at your roommate. Ling smiled sheepishly. “Good morning!” 

It had been a couple days since he’d moved in, and though the adjustment had been clumsy at times, your arrangement was at least beginning to smooth out a bit around the edges. For starters, you’d made quite a bit of headway in cleaning up the apartment together and, in accordance with the pledge you’d made yourself, you had finally gotten accustomed to seeing him shirtless without turning into a blushing mess. A helpful skill, for sure, considering he was shirtless quite a lot. Furthermore, if Fu had been feeding him information, it certainly didn’t seem to have had any adverse effects on your relationship so far.

You buried your face in the sheets, letting out a tortured moan. “Just gimme’ 5 more minutes!” You mumbled, half joking through the haze of your disrupted sleep. “I told you, there’s cereal in the cabinet, and milk... in... the...” You trailed off as your eyes began to flutter shut. 

“(Y/N)?” You let out a sharp gasp as you were awakened once more by his affable if insistent tone. Ling smiled brightly as you glanced up to meet his eyes. 

“Rise and shine! You’ve got work today, remember?” Damn, he was right. You really shouldn’t have stayed up so late studying one of your newly borrowed books, especially since it had turned out to be just another dead end. 

“I was having the nicest dream, though...” you pouted, pink dusting your cheeks as the pleasant memory resurfaced, chased by a slight chill of remorse.

“I can see that.” Ling said with a good natured smirk, and you realized that you’d been hugging your pillow to your chest through the entire conversation, presumably having been cuddling it all morning. You flushed, quickly reaching up to wipe a spot of drool from the side of your mouth. You sincerely hoped cuddling was all you’d been doing, images of the dream-bound open mouthed kiss dancing through your mind. If your half had been reflected in the waking world... well, let’s just say that wouldn’t be one of your proudest moments.

“Well, are you going to get up or not?” Ling said, smiling down at you expectantly. You let out an exasperated sigh, untangling yourself from the blankets and swinging your legs over the side of the bed. 

“I’d hit you with this, but I don’t think Lan Fan would take that too well.” You said, jokingly brandishing the pillow you had previously been holding onto before letting it flop back onto the messy covers.

You stretched, widening your mouth in a toothy yawn as you rose from your mattress, cracking your head from side to side before beginning to plod past Ling on your way to the bathroom. 

“So, what was it?” 

You froze mid step at his sudden query, still blinking the sleep from your eyes. 

“Hm? What was what?” You hummed, turning lazily to face him as you reached up to push back the unruly hair that was spilling over your face. 

“Your dream. What was it?” He said, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side with a laid back smile. You felt your cheeks begin to warm. Damn, wasn’t it obvious already? Why did he have to probe further?

“W-well, I, uh...” you swallowed, trying to ignore the rapid flutter of your heartbeat. If there was a way out of this, it was clouded by the drowsiness still clinging to your senses. “Well, there was this guy...” Ling’s eyebrows raised slightly, following your words with the utmost attentiveness.

“...w-who I knew back in Dublith, before I moved here. You know the type... a real scoundrel, y’know? I bet you can fill in the rest...” You chuckled as you nervously scratched at the back of your head, certain you would be flushing bright pink by now.

Ling’s serene expression faltered slightly as you finished your thought. “Is that so?”

You blinked in slight surprise at his odd reaction. “What, did you expect something else?” Or, perhaps, someone else? The thought sent shivers down your spine. If he’d noticed the way you had been acting the last few days... 

“Oh, no, it’s nothing!” Ling chirped, his usual demeanor returning in full force. A sly smile crept over your lips, your embarrassment thinning out as you realized his error. So, he thought he could toy with you, huh? Alright then, ass-clown, let’s play.

“Ah, I get it!” You said, facing him with a cheerful grin. “I don’t seem the type, do I? To go for that sort of man.” Ling looked up at you, eyebrows raised. You had his attention now, that was for sure.

“Well for your information, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Ling Yao...” You mused, turning sharply towards the door. “so don’t think you can pin me down that easily.” You said smoothly, a subtle but unmistakable bite in your tone. With that you left, hastening towards the bathroom and shutting the door heavily behind you.

You fell back against the door, heart still pounding from that brief flash of confrontational energy. Served him right— who did he think he was, teasing you like that? Trying to make you admit... ugh!  
You pushed your messy hair from your face once more, letting your palm rest on your forehead as you lost yourself deep in your own thoughts. No, there was nothing to admit. You were over him. You were! Despite your best efforts you felt your cheeks begin to flush again, breathing out a long, slow sigh. 

You really were getting over him, at least a little. You knew that much, or else you wouldn’t have been able to mouth off to him like that. A few days living with the prince seemed to have taken the edge off of the intimidation you had once felt on account of his status, and the burning infatuation was easy to smother out once you’d gotten quite accustomed to his good looks. It’s easy to forget someone’s physical appeal and regal lineage when you’re spending all your time teaching them how to do basic household chores— not that you’d expected much from him in that department with his upbringing, but the point still stands.

You pushed yourself up from the door in a huff, marching over to the sink and plucking your toothbrush from the cup you had set there, giving yourself a stern look in the mirror. Your eyes softened as you squeezed a pea-sized glob of toothpaste onto the bristles, letting out a gentle sigh. 

You probably shouldn’t have acted the way you did. There was a fair chance he hadn’t meant anything by it, and if that was the case your reaction would seem bizarrely cryptic at best, perhaps even outright threatening considering you still weren’t quite out of the woods yet regarding this ‘chi’ business.

You pondered this as you brushed your teeth, letting your cheeks fill with minty foam before spitting it out into the sink. Ugh, even thinking about your comment now made your chest burn with embarrassment. You didn’t even want to think about that chi bullshit— if they found out...

No, they wouldn’t. You’d make sure of it.  
All you needed to worry about right now was going to work, getting paid, buying more books and finding whatever info you could use to get your hands on that stupid stone.

After that, none of this would even matter.

After that, there’d be nothing for them to figure out at all.

You straightened up, turning and leaning over the edge of your bathtub to start up the shower— the water came out ice cold. God damn it. “Ling, stop using up all the hot water! You can get clean without your hour long bubble baths!” You called out, your brow furrowed in frustration.  
You heard an indignant moan from the kitchen.

Despite yourself, you felt yourself smirk in amusement at his melodramatic response. Why did you care what this guy thought of you again?

-

Your forehead glistened with sweat as you released the pressure of your palms on the small transmutation circle etched into the work desk before you. You’d been at this for hours now, the workload having picked up quite substantially with the recent shift in seasons. 

The warm climate of the area still lingered for the moment, but as autumn set in the chilled winds elsewhere in Amestris would soon send many a traveller your way— Automail could be pretty fickle in the cold weather if it wasn’t tuned up quite right, and you wouldn’t find any better tuning than in Rush Valley. You knew you’d be working overtime for quite a while in preparation, today especially considering the time you’d taken off work over the past week. Still, it was good practice, and it paid well enough... okay, it didn’t pay great, but it was at least enough to get by.

Your mind began to wander as you reached across the desk for another lump of iron, dragging it laboriously onto the circle. Aside from your little outburst, the morning had been uneventful. You’d hardly bothered to make any further conversation with Ling, really only stopping to acknowledge him as he told you of his plans to go out and see if he could get any leads from travelers on the philosopher’s stone.

Blue electricity crackled from your fingertips as you touched them to the etching, the iron slowly reshaping itself into a smattering of tiny machine parts. They tinkled into a pile before you, glittering in the lamplight of the small workspace. You let out a heavy breath. Damn, if a few hours of this had you winded, how were you ever going to get strong enough to really take advantage of a philosopher stone’s capabilities, anyway?

Your gaze wandered over to the clock on the wall, your eyebrows shooting up at the sight. Five ten. You’d been working for ten whole minutes longer than you were supposed to! You leaned back in your chair, sighing heavily before pushing yourself to your feet. 

“Mr. Garfiel, my shift’s up! I’m heading out now!” You called into the shop, casually flipping back the curtain separating your workspace from the rest of the storefront. You heard an indistinct reply from somewhere else within the building, the man’s dainty voice mingling with the sounds of indistinct chatter rising from the street outside. Taking that as a goodbye, you stepped forwards onto the pebble-strewn road. 

Your shoulders slumped forward as you walked along, your eyes trained on the street below. You’d never been fond of crowds, and the stress of your current situation didn’t help much. You breathed in the petrol-tinted air as you moved steadily along, your mind once again wandering back to the topic of your roommate. 

You really shouldn’t have been overthinking it that much. I mean, how big a deal could one offhand comment be? Even as you strived to reason away your doubts, the knot of anxiety burning in your chest grew tighter and tighter.  
Your jaw clenched in frustration. Why did you have to be such an nervous wreck about this one little thing? Why did you care so much about what others thought, anyway? 

You shifted your gaze up from the dirt, hoping for something, anything to distract you from this self deprecation spiral you’d managed to ensnare yourself within. People and shop windows danced past your vision, but it was no use. All you could think about was...

Suddenly, a flash of bright yellow caught in the corner of your eye.

“Ling?”

You blinked the world back into focus. Yep, it was Ling. 

There he was, lying face down on the side of the road just a few feet ahead of you. The image took a moment to set in, shock rendering you frozen in place for a couple seconds before your pulse began to pick up, panic racing through your veins. 

“Ling!” You yelped, dashing over to his side and flopping down onto the pebble-strewn earth. “Ling, can you hear me? Are you alright??”

He stirred slightly in response, the sight sending a wave of relief crashing down softly over your chest. “Ling, what happened? W-what’s wrong?” You implored, trying to suppress the tremble of dismay evident in your tone.

Ling mumbled something into the dirt, the words too quiet to make out. “What? I need you to speak up!” You said, forcing your voice to be as steady as was possible at a time like this. His head swiveled weakly to face you, his usually sleek black hair now streaked with dirt and grime. 

“Food...”

You blinked in surprise. “Food?”

Ling nodded feebly.  
You were silent for a brief instant, processing his request. Was he really just hungry? No, you’d known him to be more than a little food-driven, but this was on another level entirely. It had to be something more serious. “I’m going to take you back to the apartment, okay?” You said calmly, not wanting to alarm him in his weakened state. “There’s plenty to eat there, and if that’s not enough then I’ll make you as many extra servings as you need.”

Ling nodded again, a few locks of ink black hair spilling over his face.  
You shifted closer, your fingertips grazing hesitantly over the sleeve of his jacket before taking hold of his left arm. “I’m going to try and lift you up now, alright?”

You gritted your teeth as you rose from the ground, pulling Ling up along with you and hoisting his arm over your shoulder. Your right hand tightened around his midsection, supporting his weight as you found your footing and began to trudge arduously forward. 

“You sure... you’re up to this?” Ling muttered, his voice so close to your ear making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

You smirked, your jaw still clenched in overexertion. “Don’t worry about me. I’m stronger than I look, I swear.” However, your breaths were beginning to grow progressively more labored as you pressed on. After a couple blocks, it felt like Ling wasn’t the only one who was going to be passing out today.

You let out a sharp gasp of relief as you caught sight of your apartment in the distance, your pace quickening as you strained towards your goal. 

“Young lord!” 

Startled, you looked up to see Fu descending from his perch atop the roof of your domicile, his movements rapid and impeccably poised. 

He rushed forward towards you, his footsteps quick and light. There was barely a shift in the dust as he came to a halt, his gaze flitting up from Ling to you. “What happened here?” He questioned urgently, a hint of accusation in his tone. 

You steadied yourself, tightening your grip on Ling’s waistline as you shifted slightly to avoid dropping him. “I don’t know, I j-just found him like this!” You stammered breathlessly, overwhelmed by all of the many things that had gone wrong today, the list of which seemed to be growing with every god damn minute. 

“Fu...” Ling murmured, lifting his head slightly to meet the old man’s eyes. “I collapsed again. I was lucky (Y/N) passed by...” He said, cracking a feint smile. 

Fu looked up at you, his expression momentarily faltering under his mask. 

“Come on, help me carry him.” You said, blowing a stray whisp of hair out of your face. “There’s food at home.”  
The bodyguard hesitated a moment before complying, lifting up Ling’s other arm over his shoulder and beginning to walk in time with you towards the apartment. 

It was strange, but you thought you could see a new flicker of understanding in his eyes.

-

You rushed into the living room, your arms piled high with damn near everything edible you had been able to root up from the kitchen. Ling, immobile but at least still conscious, lay lengthwise on the couch-bed, the thing having been folded back into its original state to allow the prince’s head to be propped up on the armrest. 

You hooked the coffee table with one leg and pulled it closer, letting a multitude of dishes and silverware clatter haphazardly onto its surface. No time to be dear— you’d just have to clean the mess up later. 

“I made this late last night after that damn book turned out to be a dead end.” You muttered anxiously, lowering your knees to the floor of the open space between the table and the couch and retrieving a heaping bowl of creamed potatoes from the pile. “I figured you could have it for lunch today while I was at work— must’ve just forgotten to let you know this morning.” 

Ling turned to face you, his eyes locking on the dish held in your hands. His hand shot out suddenly, first grasping a spoon lying near the edge of the table, then taking the bowl from your hands as he began to shovel the food into his mouth. 

You looked on in amazement as the entire bowl was devoured in what looked to be about 15 seconds flat. Now that had to be some sort of record. 

“Ahh, that’s much better!” Ling said, breathing out a contented sigh as he leaned back against the armrest. “Please, could you hand me those cookies over there?”

You exhaled slightly in relief, glad to see he was getting back to his old self again. “Well, you’re pretty spry for someone who I just found passed out on the side of the road. You sure you can’t get them yourself?” You said, the joyful wobble in your tone making clear the good natured intent behind your teasing. 

Ling reached out his arm towards the coffee table, the rest of his body unmoving. “Can’t... reach...” He said, feigning strain. 

You rolled your eyes, plucking the packaged sweets from the surface and holding them out to him. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re starting to feel better, at least. You had me really worried for a second, there...” your voice was gentle, your gaze turning downward as you tucked a stray whisp of hair behind your ear. 

Ling looked cheerfully up at you as he took the package, the paper wrapping crinkling lightly in his hand. “Thank you very much for helping me.” He said as he tugged open the wrapping. “...are all the women in Amestris this kind?” 

You took in a sharp breath in surprise. “W-huh?” You stammered, blindsided by the praise. “O-oh, I uh...”

“For that matter...” He continued, a cocky smile on his lips. “Are all the women in Amestris this beautiful, as well?” 

You flushed bright red, your pulse racing. “Aw, c’mon, D-don’t say things like that!” You chuckled nervously. Just what was he trying to pull?

You wracked your brain for another subject, anything to distract you from the desperate fluttering of your heartbeat. “So, the fainting... I take it this isn’t the first time that’s happened? I mean, if Fu was comfortable enough to leave you in my care while he goes to find Lan Fan.” You said, trying to suppress the shaking in your voice. 

Ling swallowed a bite of the cookie he had been munching on before responding. “Yes, quite a few times, actually. Only when I haven’t had enough to eat— my vassals try not to let that happen too often.”

You blinked, perplexed. “So, it’s like a medical thing, then? Wait, why weren’t they with you when you collapsed?”

Ling shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “Well, I suppose I do tend to wander off from time to time...”

You sighed, a good natured smile breaking through your outward veneer of exasperation. Even when he was being a doofus, he was still so damn cute. “Oh, Ling, what am I going to do with you?” You chuckled breathily, shaking your head.

He smiled lightly. “Well... you could always just be my bride. Then you’d have no trouble at all keeping an eye on me.” 

Instantly, your face grew almost unbearably hot. Where the hell did that come from? “D-don’t joke about that!” You sputtered, hoping he couldn’t hear your heart thundering in your chest. 

His eyebrows crinkled together slightly, his feint smile lingering. “But I’m-“ 

“No.”

Your tone was sharp and resolute. You took a deep breath and tried to collect yourself, choking out the butterflies building in your stomach. This had to stop.

“Ling, you can’t just say that kind of shit to me, alright? It’s off limits.” You said bitterly, your eyes squeezing shut.  
You really didn’t want to be curt with him, but it just wasn’t fair for him to taunt you like that.

You leaned back onto the balls of your feet, silence hanging heavy in the air between the two of you. Just then, you heard the door fling open. “My lord!” Lan Fan gasped, hurrying over to Ling’s side. 

“Well... I guess you’re all good out here, then.” You said, smiling half heartedly as you rose from the floor. “I’m going to go check over that book again, see if there’s something I missed. See ya’.”

Ling’s eyes followed you as you walked coolly down the hall to the study, his brow furrowing slightly. 

That wasn’t how he expected that to play out at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ling: *painfully obvious flirting*
> 
> (Y/N): this is obviously a joke at my expense. Allow me to rebuff it in such a way that, without the context of my low self esteem, would read as unequivocal rejection of any romantic intent, despite my huge and super obvious crush on the guy harboring said intent. Genius


	8. It’s a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe someday (Y/N) will find out that coming to an agreement doesn’t always mean you’ve come to an understanding.
> 
> Then again, there are times when understanding is the only way to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so before you read I just wanna warn you that this chapter isn’t especially fluffy. However, I can assure you that the next few will be especially tooth rotting, so Equivalent Exchange yada yada this chapter exists mainly for plot and knife twisting reasons but there is some fluffy stuff in there so bare with me here ;-;
> 
> Also, sorry for the wait!! I like to go over each chapter at least 30 times with a fine tooth comb before posting, which makes updating frequently during this part of the school year... difficult. Quality over quantity, am I right folks? I hope I’m right. Enjoy!

You bent over your desk under the warm glow of lamplight, your fingers threading themselves through your mussed-up hair. Once again, the book had been useless. Useless! It was all you could do to hold back a scream of frustration.

You really thought you’d been close this time. But no, you’d just have to find another lead somehow, and probably travel halfway across Amestris on another god damn wild goose-chase to do so. And that was leaving aside the matter of the stone itself, one of which you still hadn’t been able to track down!

The thought made you want to cry. Instead, you just sucked in a deep breath through your gritted teeth, fumbling across the desk for your ink pen. Even if this was a failure, it still had to be recorded. You had to record everything— even the smallest sliver of information could be the difference between achieving your goal and, well, not.

Your eyes drifted up to the clock on the wall. 1:23 am, and still at least another hour to go. You knew you’d feel like shit in the morning, but then again you felt like shit already, so no point in stopping now. You palmed your face, attempting to wipe the sleepiness from your eyes. Just then, there came a knock at the door to your study.

“Ugh, probably Fu...” You grumbled, plucking a sheet of scratch paper from your desk drawer and smoothing it out on the surface before you. “What do you want?” You called out, your voice slurred by tiredness and exasperation.

“Hey, that’s no way to greet a friend, is it?”

You looked up suddenly, startled by the sound of Ling’s voice. What was he doing up so late? “Ling? Oh, uh, come in!”

The door creaked open, said prince tentatively entering the dimly lit study. He had on the pajama bottoms you had let him borrow, as well as the too small pajama top, which was hanging unbuttoned about his torso. You were thankful he was wearing it, considering the alternative, but you still couldn’t help but regard it with a puzzled expression. “You’re wearing the top.”

Ling glanced down at his covered arms. “Yeah, I realized even if I can’t button it up, it’s still not too different from what I’m used to.” He said, shrugging slightly.

You nodded sedatedly, turning back to your desk. “So, What are you doing up this late?” You sighed, your shoulders tense with both the residual stress of your previous interaction and the frustration of your fruitless research.

“I could ask you the same question.” He chuckled, moving further into the study. You looked over at him with a pointed expression. You were in no mood to dance around the point.  
Ling met your stare, tilting his head with a slight smile.  
“I got woken up by someone scream-whispering a long string of what I assume were Amestrian expletives. So, I thought I’d come see how you were doing.”

You furrowed your eyebrows for a moment before sighing deeply, your bitter fury giving way to exhaustion and disappointment. “I’m fine, I just... these damn books, they’re useless.” You said dejectedly, placing your head in your hands. “I’ve been chasing this one method for so long, thought I was so lucky finding just the book I needed right here in Rush Valley... and it’s just another dead end. I’ll have to start over _again_.” you mumbled, balling your fists against your sweat-beaded forehead.

“You’re not talking about the philosopher’s stone, are you?” Ling questioned, his voice tinged with concern.

“No, no, I’m still working on that one, don’t you worry. This is just...” realization flashed through your senses and you reached over, clapping the book shut before he could catch sight of its contents. “...it’s nothing. It’s private.”

Ling looked slightly startled by this, but thankfully didn’t seem inclined to pry further, at least for now. “You have work tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

He cocked his head to the side again. “Well, shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

“Nah, I wish. I’ve still gotta finish these notes.” you laughed bitterly, poising your pen above the paper before you. “If I put it off it won’t get done. I mean, have you seen my apartment?”

You looked up at Ling, who appeared to be regarding you with a soft, steady sort of apprehension. “Something else on your mind?”

Ling Paused a moment before speaking. “I’m sorry if I offended you with my comments earlier. It won’t happen again.” Your heart missed a beat at the mention of your earlier conversation, a small burst of adrenaline pushing through your haze of exhaustion.

“Y-yeah, it’s all good!” You stammered, beginning to scribble out your notes at an alarming pace. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

Ling smiled contentedly at your amicable response, making his way over to the door. “Go to bed soon, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. Goodnight, Ling.” you breathed, propping your cheek up with your non-dominant hand as you wrote.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).”

-

You awoke with a crick in your neck, your cheek pressed hard into the wooden surface of your work desk. “Ughh...” you groaned, palming your face. Past you was right, you _did_ feel like shit.

At least you hadn’t smudged up the paper this time, you noted, catching sight of last night’s writing lying neatly just above where you had passed out. And at least this time you were warm...

Wait, warm?

You felt tentatively at your upper arms, your fingers brushing lightly over soft cotton. You straightened up, your back aching like hell.

Draped over your shoulders was... a jacket.

Ling’s jacket.

Your sleep-fried mind spun its gears for a moment before fully processing what had happened. He’d come in here... found you passed out at your desk... and he’d put his jacket over your shoulders. So you wouldn’t get chilly.

Your heart fluttered at the thought, and you had to chastise yourself for the reaction. He was just being nice, after all.

You slid the jacket gingerly from your shoulders as you rose from your chair, holding the garment as delicately as you possibly could. It carried the scent of sandalwood, you noted, though only very faintly. Still, your uncommonly good sense of smell ensured that the aroma was still perfectly detectable.

Your eyes wandered up to the clock— no wonder you felt so shitty, it was way early! You growled deep in your throat, cracking your neck from side to side as you plodded out of the study.  
The sounds of clinking silverware caught in your ears, most likely coming from the dinner table. Ling.

As you wandered tentatively into the dining room you caught yourself holding the jacket a little too close to your body, quickly adjusting to carry it a bit more casually.  
Ling was seated at the table, working through what looked to be his fourth bowl of cereal. He looked up at you as you entered, alerted either by your soft footsteps or by your ‘chi’, whatever the hell that meant.

“Morning!” He chirped, cheerful as ever. “You’re up early!”

“Yeah, well, it’s harder to sleep in when you’re hunched over at a desk.” You replied through a yawn, setting his jacket down gently on the table. “Thanks for the uh... the jacket. For putting it on me, I mean.” You added, blushing only slightly. You sat down in the chair nearest to you, resting your chin on your hand as Ling mumbled a quick ‘no problem’ through his cereal.

Your eyes drifted lazily over him as he continued his meal. Ling’s hair was undone from its usual tight ponytail, spilling about his shoulders in curtains of slick ebony. The unbuttoned pajama top he was wearing fell open across his collarbone, his chest, his abs...

you looked away, your cheeks dusted pink. If you were really going to get over this, you’d have to commit. No more longing glances, no matter how tempting it was to let your eyes roam freely over him like ponies on the wide open plains... god damn it, you were still thinking about it. And in terrible purple prose, too, for shame.

You searched desperately through your head for a distraction, flinching as the dial of your mind fixed on one particularly pertinent issue. Not the most comfortable breakfast conversation, but something that needed to be asked sooner rather than later, and certainly a fitting diversion from Ling’s shirtless chest.

“Um, Ling?”

He glanced up, swallowing his mouthful of cereal. “Yeah?”

You pressed your hands together, weaving your fingers together nervously. “I’ve been thinking about it, and... um... what’s going to happen when we actually find the philosopher’s stone?”

Ling straightened up in his seat, facing you completely. You definitely had his attention now. “...I’ll have to take it back to Xing. It’s the key to saving my clan.” His tone was calm but resolute.

You had been prepared for this possibility. This conflict of your shared end-goals was inevitable, really— you were surprised you hadn’t put it together sooner. You took a deep breath, steadying yourself. “Then, we’re going to have to work something out here. An arrangement.” you breathed coolly, clasping your hands on the table in front of you.

Ling leaned forwards, resting his chin on his hand. “I’m listening.”

“What do you think will happen to the stone once you take it back?”

Ling tilted his head slightly. “No doubt the emperor will want to investigate its capabilities— it’s unlikely he’ll be able to utilize it in time, if it even works in the first place, but it’ll be enough for me to gain his favor. After that I doubt the rest of the court will be keen on giving it up, though as the emperor I could certainly force their hands. Still, there is always the possibility that I’m unsuccessful...”

“That settles it, then.”  
Your heart pounded as you mentally prepared yourself for your response. “I hope it doesn’t come to this, but in the slim chance that you can’t return the stone after all, then I... I want you to take me with you.”

Ling looked startled. You flushed in embarrassment as you scrambled to qualify your statement. “I-I mean, so that once you’re done with it, I can still continue my research!” You stammered. “I don’t want to impose, but I... I _need_ a philosopher’s stone. That’s non-negotiable.” You straightened up, trying to look as self assured as you could muster.

Ling’s eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?

You nodded solemnly, but he didn’t look convinced.

“You realize you’d be uprooting your entire life to come with me. You’d really be willing to go through with that?”

You gulped, anxiety buzzing in your chest. The prospect wasn’t exactly appealing, but at this point you didn’t really have a choice. “I-I’m not sure, but I... all that matters to me is the philosopher’s stone. I don’t want to compete with you for it, not if it means I risk losing all that I’ve worked for, and definitely not if it means screwing you and your whole clan over.” You looked him straight in the eyes, hoping that your stern expression would impart the strength of your conviction. “This is what I’ve been striving towards, day and night, for more than a year now. As long as I get to keep the stone, I don’t care about anything else. So I’ll do what it takes, just as long as I don’t hurt anyone else along the way.”

Ling looked surprised by the certainty in your voice, meeting your gaze with what you could only describe as a flicker of recognition in his eyes. You held his stare for a moment longer before breaking it to look down awkwardly, your confidence buckling under the weight of the oppressive silence filling up the space between you. “Y-yeah, I know, it’s pretty greedy, huh?” You chuckled nervously, beginning to fiddle with your clasped hands.

“Not at all. If we’re going to be helping each other, we should both get something out of the equation.” You looked up to see Ling smiling at you as he spoke, though this time it seemed less chipper and more serious, more... _earnest_ , somehow.

You locked your eyes with his once more, letting the corners of your lips rise tentatively into a shy smile. “Then it’s a deal? You’ll help me if I help you?” You said, extending your right hand halfway into the space between you.

Ling took your cue, giving a slight hum of approval as he reached out and shook your hand. “It’s a deal.”

After a moment your hands unclasped, your stomach choosing that instant to voice its displeasure with the lack of digestion it was performing at that particular moment. You patted your midsection, grumbling at the indignant growls emanating from within. “Welp, that’s my cue to go get breakfast. I’m gonna grab a bowl from the kitchen— save me some of that cereal for when I get back, ‘kay?” You said, yawning as you rose from your chair.

“You got it.” Ling replied through a yawn of his own, swiftly returning to his meal.

As you walked forward you caught yourself glancing back towards the table, the bright yellow of Ling’s jacket leaving a bold impression in the corner of your eye. You sighed gently as you felt your cheeks warm, only slightly this time, but still...

Well, it couldn’t be helped. If your heart was so intent on tormenting your mind like this then there was no point in shoving it down, denying its clear pleas— but that didn’t mean you had to let them consume you. This little crush would fade on its own in time, you knew, and until then you’d just have to go on acting like you wanted nothing more than friendship with your new houseguest.

After all, there was nothing else you could really do at this point, you considered, small twinges of grief running through your chest. There was no way someone like him could ever return the feelings of someone like you.

You’d just have to deal with it on your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lowkey (Y/N) hiding her research notes is me when someone walks behind me while I’m working on this fic in public. That is all


	9. What Are Friends For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of a long day putting her alchemy skills to the test, (Y/N) could use a break from equivalent exchange. After so much giving, will she finally be able to get back something she didn’t have to take?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstreet’s back ladies!!!
> 
> It has been forever since I uploaded I’m sorryyyyy ;-;  
> Long story short I ran out of backlogs, school is slaughtering me, and there was a miscommunication with my friend who proofreads these things that resulted in us being unable to contact each other for a couple weeks.
> 
> The proofreading situation has been dealt with, but the backlog thing might be a problem for a while. Uploads will likely be at a less aggressive pace from now on but I PROMISE you the fic will not die. I have far too many superb Greed scenes planned out to call it quits here, folks! 
> 
> Anyway. Enjoy this mess!

You wouldn’t think a place like Rush Valley would be very conductive for research.

In a sense, that was true— the town was populated mostly by automail shops and not much else, save for a couple inns, groceries, and a decently-sized library.  
The library served its purpose well enough, though its nonfiction section consisted mostly of mechanical stuff, not the alchemical texts you would have preferred. Nonetheless, it still provided a good jumping off point. That was what really encapsulated this town’s utility to you— a jumping off point. A place where travelers from all over Amestris were drawn together, where gossip was allowed to converge whilst you waited intently at the epicenter.  
Yes, perhaps a place like Central might have been a more preferable home-base for anyone else, but not for you. You didn’t exactly care for the city to begin with, and for your purposes you required something a little more... discrete.

Your research was on your mind today as you conducted your work, the dim lights of Atelier Garfiel’s backroom supplemented by the blue glow sparking from your fingertips. You’d been at this a long time now— and that meant a long time to think about your next move.

As you transmuted your mind buzzed with the chatter you’d been able to pick up on over the last few days, the recent influx of traffic having brought the steady flow of rumors that usually populated the town to a delicious simmer. Chief in your consciousness was a name you’d heard many times before— a state alchemist from East City, Shou Tucker. State alchemists were often prone to becoming the subject of rumor and speculation, of course, but you always made sure to pay extra special attention whenever this particular one’s name popped up.

You hadn’t been reminded of him in a while, actually, which made a lot of sense given the context.  
Apparently, the state alchemist’s annual assessment was coming up, and he’d done little in this past year to hint at his findings being capable of making the cut. A sad story, but that wasn’t the part that interested you— it had put his name on your mind, and that was enough to get the gears turning.

You needed a lead, badly. The last one had been a bust, only the latest in a long and infuriating series of false starts. But if you could get a good look at Tucker’s findings... it was as good a shot as any, you surmised, and a trip to the city would make a good opportunity for information gathering regarding the Philosopher’s Stone.

Tucker himself, however, you considered absolutely vile. What else could be said of a man whose crowning academic achievement amounted to the mutilation of defenseless animals, ripping them apart and twisting them into a creature whose only desire was to die? The thought of asking for his help made you a little sick. Still, you couldn’t deny that the findings of such an accomplished bio-alchemist could prove invaluable to your studies. You’d likely be able to stomach a few hours of conversation with the man if it meant getting one step closer to your goal... and if you could manage to land one good, solid kick to his family jewels on the way out, then that would make it all worth it.

You sighed, your gaze floating lazily over to the clock. 5:00. Finally, quitting time!

That was when you noticed the white noise pulsing against the roof of the shop, and you remembered how the sky had been swirling earlier, how the air had been heavy with the scent of dust.

Shit.

You leapt from your chair, stopping only to fumble at your desk lamp’s pull chain before rushing out to the front of the shop.

Rain billowed down in thick grey sheets, its dreary course interrupted only by the brief flashes of lighting that occasionally split across the sky in jagged arches. The awning shivered against the assault of the heavy downpour, pelting fiercely against the fabric and dribbling down to the muddy path before you. God damn it, you knew you should have brought an umbrella.

You tapped the toe of your shoe against the ground in nervous apprehension, hooking a pointed canine over your bottom lip. The storm showed no signs of letting up, and you knew you’d have to walk home _eventually._

Suddenly, a cheery voice pierced through the grey haze of your surroundings.  
“(Y/N)! How goes it?”

You looked up, blinking dewy raindrops from your lashes as your gaze came to focus on a familiar figure moving through the mud-choked street, partially shaded out by the pelting rain. “Ling?”

Ling smiled in response, dashing to your side beneath the protection of the awning.  
His hair clung to his skin in slick black rivers, the way it highlighted the curve of his clavicle illuminated by the amber glow of lamplight emanating from within the workshop. You let the image captivate you for only a moment before shaking it from your mind in embarrassment, stopping to brush a stray lock of your own hair out of your face. “Y-you’re soaked!”

“Yeah, I got caught in the rain.” Ling said, stopping to wring out his long ponytail. “I was going to just run all the way home, but then I saw you.”

You glanced out into the storm-soaked street, shivering slightly at the sight. “I don’t like rain.” You shuddered. “Especially when I forget my umbrella. Doesn’t look like it’s going to clear up anytime soon.”

“Sure doesn’t.” Ling replied, turning his gaze to the muted-color sky.

You lingered a moment longer in silence before letting out a sigh of defeat. “Nothing for it, I guess. I’ll just have to run.” You bristled at the thought, picturing the feeling of freezing water dribbling down the back of your neck, wet clothes chafing your chilled skin raw.

Suddenly, your mental lamentations were interrupted by a flicker of motion in the corner of your eye. It was Ling— he had taken off his jacket and begun to wring it out, his biceps flexing slightly against the tension of the twisting fabric.

You would have thought you’d have developed an immunity against the sight of his shirtless chest by now, but with raindrops beading and running ~slooowly~ down every curve and contour of his musculature? Now that just wasn’t god damn fair.

Your face steamed against the rain-wet atmosphere. “L-ling, what are you—“

“You didn’t think I was just going to leave you here, did you? Besides, I owe you for carrying me home the other day.” His carefree smile took the edge off the shock of his suddenly exposed chest, blessedly giving you something to focus on other than the scattered raindrops clinging to his skin.  
As he finished wringing out his jacket he stepped towards to you, holding the garment up and spreading it over the both of you as a makeshift umbrella.  
You let out an indignant squeak as he pulled you closer to him, more surprised than taken aback.  
He flinched at your faint protest. “What’s wrong?”

Your eyes trailed up hesitantly to meet his. “N-nothing, I was just... startled, is all.” You mumbled, not sure whether to push closer towards him or to pull away. Your better judgement held you fast between the two options, your arms crossing stiffly.

Your muscles un-tensed as he withdrew. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He said apologetically, his tone bearing a gentle sort of matter-of-factness that suited him quite well, in your opinion.

You blinked up at him, your gaze lingering on his soft expression for perhaps a moment too long. Finally you glanced down, painfully aware of the slight blush creeping over your features. “No, it... you just should’ve given me a warning, that’s all.” You breathed, feeling the knot in your chest begin to dissipate. “I guess your plan does sound a lot better than running home in the rain. Thanks for offering to help me, it’s really sweet of you to care...” that slight blush turned bright crimson as the words left your lips. Crap, did you really just say that out loud?

“No problem. What are friends for, right?”  
His cheery tone stuck in your mind as he pulled you gently towards him, more tentative this time. His rain-wet skin left darkened freckles on your clothing as you pressed against his side, his body heat permeating the fabric and warming you against the chilled atmosphere... or was that just your own reaction to his touch?

He gripped one side of the jacket in his left hand, his right resting against your back as he raised the other end of the garment above both your heads. Hesitantly, You steadied yourself into position with your arms around his waist, hoping to god that he wouldn’t be able to feel how hard your heart was pounding.

You mirrored him as he poised a foot against the edge of the awning’s protection, your chest buzzing with anticipation. “Ready?” he questioned, his fingers tightening around the fabric.

You gulped, shimmying your hips like a cat about to pounce. “Ready.”

His approving smile sent a comfortable shiver down your spine, your hands squeezing together lightly in preparation. The part of his lips sent a flush of hot breath clouding into the cool evening air. “Ready... set... go!”

You followed his movements in tandem as he leapt forward, keeping pace as water splashed up around your shoes. Rain pelted against the jacket as adrenaline iced through your veins, the shock causing your heart to pulse thunderously. You both knew the route to the apartment very well by now, stepping in sync as you blinked tiny pearls of vapor from your eyelashes.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt genuinely exhilarated like this. There was something light in your chest carrying you forward, tempered only by your focus on matching your pace to Ling’s— he was holding back, obviously under the assumption that you wouldn’t be able to keep up with him otherwise. You weren’t about to correct him, though, and you certainty weren’t going to try and pull ahead. With your arms wrapped about his waist as puddles burst in your wake, you were exactly where you wanted to be.

Lightning flashed against the peeling paint on the outside of your apartment as it came into view, windowpanes shuddering against the water-laden winds. “Almost there!” You gasped out, only now realizing how hard your chest was heaving. This mad dash through the rain had really sapped your strength.

The exhaustion really hit you as you wobbled to a stop at the base of the stairs, forcing you to fight through it as you released Ling’s waist to clamber up the steps towards your door. Your hands trembled as you dug the key from your pocket, fumbling with the lock for a moment as Ling rushed to join you at the entrance.

Finally you heard the mechanism click, flinging the door open and kicking off your muddy shoes as you entered. Ling followed close behind, stopping to wring his coat out onto the porch and remove his shoes in a markedly more precise fashion than you had before letting the door swing shut behind him.

For a moment you just stood, shivering, trying to catch your breath as you allowed the warmth of the apartment to permeate your rain-dappled clothing. You glanced over at Ling, who appeared to be doing the same. The beads of precipitation that clung to his jet-black hair shone gold in the warm light, the visual reminding you somewhat of a starry night sky.

Suddenly, he turned to face you, catching your gaze— usually your first instinct would have been to look away, to try your best to pretend that you hadn’t been staring. Even you weren’t sure why you weren’t doing that this time around. Regardless, his eyes were now locked with yours, and you could hear his breathing, watch his bare chest rise and fall...

And for whatever reason, breathless giggles began to spill from your lips.

Ling was momentarily startled silent before a quizzical smile spread onto his face. “What’s so funny?”

You looked up at him, gentle tremors of laughter shaking your form as you attempted to catch your breath. “I don’t know, that was just— that was kinda’ fun! Exhilarating, y’know?” You felt a bright flush of pink coloring your cheeks, and for once, you didn’t mind one bit. “Alright, how about I cook us some dinner? Something warm, wouldn’t want either of us to catch a cold!” Your tone had a good-natured wobble to it as you made your way towards the kitchen, an uncharacteristic (though not at all unpleasant) bounce in your step.

“...Can I help?”

You blinked in surprise, glancing back at Ling over your shoulder. The corners of his lips were raised slightly so they appeared a bit mellower than his usual cheery expression, matching his relaxed posture.

“...You just want to sneak a couple tastes of the food before it’s done, don’t you?” You chuckled, crossing your arms playful confrontation.

Ling’s smile grew in response. “Can’t slip one past you, huh?” He laughed lightly, running a hand back through his rain-flecked hair as he straightened up to follow you to the kitchen.

The cheerful look you gave him stuck in his mind after you looked away, as did the absentminded melody you began to hum as you lead him forward, your hair swaying to the beat of your step.

He was a little too distracted to sneak any food before it was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tfw the fanfic ur reading updates for the first time in three full weeks and the author spends like half the chapter roasting Shou Tucker
> 
> (again I am so so sorry this took so long, big thank you to those of you who have stuck with it despite this :3 and also a belated thank you for all the wonderful comments they mean the world!! ily all :D)


	10. Whatever You Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little ‘me time’ is nice, but not when it’s the only option. After learning this the hard way, (Y/N) sets out for some peace and quiet on her own terms; however, it seems like fate has other plans when a certain prince walks into the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ladies welcome back, sorry it’s been a while but trust me you needed the time to prepare yourselves because BOY do I have a chapter for YOU
> 
> Sorry in advance if the art stuff ends up being unrelatable, I just REALLY needed an excuse for this scene to happen. Anyways, touch starved folks in the audience might wanna lie down a little bit before reading... hehe >:3c
> 
> (Fun Fact: during the writing of this chapter I literally had to take time off school because the stress and sleep deprivation leading up to finals was giving me violent heart palpitations. Let’s read about anime boys!)

Finally, a day off!

The grey light of afternoon spilled through the cream-colored curtains as you exhaled a heavy breath, deflating against the plush cushions of your living room couch.

It wasn’t often you got the chance to just take care of yourself— it wasn’t something that you’d even really considered, up until recently. Ever since moving to Rush Valley a year ago your days had consisted mostly of work and research, with your relaxation usually taking the form of naps and the occasional non-nonfiction book. Every once in a while you’d find yourself getting lonely, in which case you might stop to sketch a family member, but even those little diversions had been getting ever more sparse... that is, until Ling and the others had shown up.

Their presence had forced you to become acutely aware of how sad your life must have looked to an outside observer. It was a welcome change, for sure— one that you greatly appreciated as you took a moment to sip the tea you’d prepared for yourself, your drawing pad laying expectantly on your lap.

Though it had been forever since you’d drawn anything for yourself, the anatomical sketches required for your notes had at least kept you in practice. As soon as you set your mind on this little ‘me day’ you’d known that you wanted to spend at least part of it curled up on the couch with a sketch pad and a pencil, making up for all the time you’d lost to your frantic pursuit of your studies.

Without thinking, your hand began to move, dragging the graphite into the visage of a fading— but still warmly familiar— memory. The corners of your mouth lifted slightly as a pair of large eyes peered back at you from beneath a sternly-positioned brow, shortly followed by the gentle outline of a wide nose, the collar of a white keikogi...

“Hey there, (Y/N)!”

You jumped a little in your seat at the sudden interruption, jerking to face its origin. Ling smiled pleasantly, his elbows propping him up relaxedly against the armrest across the couch from you. His smile grew as he got your attention. “What are you up to?”

You let out a small sigh, resting your pencil against the page. “Just... y’know, taking a little break. I didn’t know you were home, I haven’t seen you around much today...” you said, reaching over to take another sip of your tea.

Your eyes followed Ling’s motions carefully as he angled himself to peer down at your sketch pad. “Nice drawing. Who is it?”

You hoped he couldn’t sense how your shoulders tightened at his query. “Oh, y’know... just a friend from back in Dublith, I guess...” you murmured hesitantly, stopping to brush a stray whisp of hair behind your ear.

Ling perked up slightly at your response. “Ah, then is this that ‘scoundrel’ you were telling me about?”

You flinched slightly as his comment caught you off guard, training your eyes back on your work as a distraction. “N-no, that’s someone else. This guy was just... a good friend of mine.” You exhaled gently as you continued to sketch. “...he was probably the one I was closest to back then besides, y’know, the um... s-scoundrel.” You flushed slightly, though the thought still managed to illicit a chill of sadness, even now. “This isn’t a very good portrait, anyway. I haven’t seen him since the move...”

Ling seemed to pick up on your shift in tone, moving to sit on the other end of the couch. “What’s wrong? You look a little upset...”

His concerned tone struck a chord in your chest. “Oh, me? I’m fine, don’t worry! Just a bit homesick is all.” you said, forcing a reassuring smile. Ling looked decidedly un-reassured.

You sighed, letting your chin fall slightly. “Don’t worry about me, Ling, alright? I’ll be fine. My friends in Dublith aren’t going anywhere— I’ll be able to see them again once my research is done.” you said assuredly, finishing off the rough sketch with a flick of your pencil. You found yourself satisfied with the result, turning the page around to present to your housemate. “What do you think? I’m a little out of practice, but I think this one turned out alright.”

Ling took a moment to unfold his legs from beneath him before scooting over towards you, his fingers grazing lightly over the corner of the sketch pad as he angled it slightly to get a better look. “Pretty good.” he said, the corners of his lips raising lightly before falling again as his eyes fixed pensively on the hem of the sketched figure’s garment. “What’s that he’s wearing?”

You blinked a moment at his sudden query, looking down in contemplation. “Oh, I think he called it a... a keiko-something... a keikogi? Yeah, that sounds right. A keikogi.” You turned your gaze back to Ling. “Why do you ask?”

“Yes, I thought I recognized it. There’s a small country to the east of Xing that uses those for some of the native fighting styles.” He nodded to himself in affirmation as he spoke. “Is he a fighter?”

You gulped a little, trying not to let on how dangerous that question could become. “Uh, yeah, he uh... he fought some. Life in that part of the city could get rough, y’know? Gotta’ stay on your toes.” You chuckled awkwardly, hoping that Ling wouldn’t pry further as you flipped over to the next page in your sketch pad.

You raised the eraser end of your pencil to your lips as you considered what to draw next, your eyes trailing over the blank paper. Suddenly, your attention was called away by the faint rustling of upholstery just off to your right. Ling had shifted closer, leaning towards you as he attempted to get a good view of the sketch pad in your hands.  
He seemed to take notice as your muscles tensed a little in surprise, withdrawing from you slightly. “Too close?”

You found yourself relaxed by his soft query, letting your gaze drift back down to your work. “No, you’re good.”  
Despite yourself, you felt goosebumps prickling up your arms as he eased back towards you, the fabric of his loose jacket brushing lightly against your skin as he peered over your shoulder.

You tried to focus your thoughts on your art, but you were blanking again. Your pencil swirled idly around the center of the page, trailing a faint graphite circle as you pondered what to do next. After about a minute you tipped your head back, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh, it’s no use! I’m still in scientist mode, I can’t think of anything good to draw.”

Ling tilted his head slightly to face you. “You could draw more of your friends from Dublith.”

“Nah, I think that would just make me sad.” You breathed, running a hand back through your hair.

Ling looked on for a moment longer in silence before speaking again.

“You could draw me.”

Your eyes flicked in his direction, wide in surprise at his offer. Then again, that could certainly work... he was as good a subject as any, wasn’t he? Not to mention it would give you the chance to look at his cute face for as long as you wanted without it being weird...

“O-oh, um... okay, that sounds good.” You said as you straightened up, scratching nervously at the nape of your neck. “Don’t get offended if it doesn’t turn out great, though. I’m still pretty rusty at this...”

Ling smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. At least, from what I’ve seen of your work so far.”

You blushed a little at that, settling the sketch pad on your lap and poising your pencil above it. “Well, thank you... but if you’re just buttering me up so I’ll draw you extra handsome, it won’t work.” _Not that he needs it_ , your inner voice whispered, causing you to blush harder. Damn, you really needed to get that under control.  
“I’m gonna need you to be real still for this, okay? Now, sit up and look straight ahead at me.” He did so, rising from his place rested against the couch.

You began to sketch, glancing up at him periodically as you worked. After a minute, however, he began to shift about uncomfortably.

“Hey, I thought I told you not to move!” You chided playfully, a smile teasing at the corners of your lips.

“Aww, but it’s taking too long!” Ling pouted, crossing his arms in indignation. Damn, how could he still be so cute even when acting childishly like this? Unfair.

“Well... would it help to lean against something? I could find another place for us to sit...” you suggested, cocking your head to the side.

Ling hesitated a moment before beginning to move around. “Hmm... what if I just— hold on.”

You watched curiously as he turned to face away from you. “What are you—“

Your words caught on your tongue as he scooted slightly towards you, before leaning backwards over your lap. He paused halfway through the motion, looking up at you questioningly. “Ah, sorry. Is this alright?”

You swallowed, glancing to the side and lifting the sketch pad out of his way. “Y-yeah, you’re good. Just don’t blame me if I spill my tea on you.” You fought to calm your frantic heartbeat as he leaned further until his back was pressed against your legs, shimmying up so that his head rested on the armrest. Alright, alright, calm down (Y/N), it’s just a little physical contact. You’d already been this close to him a couple times before, once when you carried him home after he had collapsed, and again when he had helped you run home during the rain... and besides, you’d been living together for a while, so you _had_ become pretty comfortable around each other by this point. Yes, this would be fine. You hoped.

Once he had gotten settled, you took a moment to adjust before tentatively lowering your sketch pad to rest against his torso. “O-okay, now don’t move.” You cautioned softly, continuing to sketch a soft outline of his chin.

“So... what was Dublith like?”

You inhaled sharply at Ling’s question, the casual manner in which it was spoken belying the danger it was capable of presenting.

“Oh, you don’t want to hear about that...” You chuckled nervously, focusing in on your drawing.

Ling’s gentle smile was unwavering. “Yes I do. It sounds like an interesting place.”

You hesitated. Damn, what could you even say? ‘Hey, Ling, let me tell you all about the gang I was a part of and the rogue homunculus I was screwing?’ Yeah, that would certainly go over well.

“W-well, I sort of worked at this bar, and uhh... I lived there, too. With a bunch of the other people. Who worked there. At the bar.” you managed to stammer out. I mean, you weren’t technically lying.

Ling’s eyebrows furrowed slightly— it looked like he was picking up on your tactical omission. Your fingers tightened around your pencil. Perhaps if you could try and distract him with something particularly juicy...

“...and the owner, he, umm... y’know the scoundrel I’ve been talking about?”

Yup, that got his attention. “Ah, so you were together?”

Despite yourself, you could feel your cheeks begin to flush again. “...Yeah.”

“You’re right.”

“Hm?”

Ling smiled playfully. “You _don’t_ seem like the type to go for that sort of man.”

Damn, your face was getting redder by the minute. “O-oh, I did say that, didn’t I?” You stuttered, glancing over at him as you moved to sketch his hairline. “Yeah, I guess I don’t... but, y’know, looks can be deceiving. And, besides...” you gulped as the memories sent a cocktail of warmth and sadness pooling in your chest. “He was... sweet. Sweeter than you’d think, definitely. He just made me feel safe.”

“...why did you leave?”

Ling’s soft tone caught you off guard. You glanced over at him— he looked as relaxed as usual, though the crinkle of his brow betrayed a hint of cautious concern. You met it with a slight huff as your features fell, a clear declaration of your imminent silence. He’d gotten enough answers out of you for one day.

The quiet lingered awkwardly between the two of you as you finished up the rough outline, as well as a couple feather-light swirls indicating the general position of his eyes, nose, and mouth. Finally, you broke the uncomfortable stasis with a gentle sigh. “Okay, I’m gonna’ be starting on your eyes now, so if you could just...” You gestured to your eyes with your free hand’s index finger.

Ling hesitated a moment. “Are you sure?”

You blinked in slight confusion at his objection. “Well, it would probably make for a better portrait... why?”

He declined to answer, deliberating a second longer before blinking his eyes open. As always they were dark and deep, rich with something you couldn’t quite explain. You had no idea why he’d want to hide eyes like that.

You tried not to stare, giving him a small nod of affirmation before returning to your work. As you continued, though, you noticed as he began to lengthen out his blinks, keeping his eyelids closed for longer and longer intervals. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

The directness of your question seemed to startle the prince. “Oh, I was closing them again, wasn’t I?” he said, letting out a breathy laugh. “I suppose I’m just not used to this, is all. People don’t tend to like my eyes, they can make me look a bit... severe.”

Oh, so that was why he kept them shut all the time! Although, as you glanced down at him, you had a hard time understanding how someone could disapprove of... well, any part of his face, really. Finally you looked away, shrugging lightly. “Well, don’t worry about that right now, okay? I like your eyes.”  
As soon as the words left your lips you could feel your face begin to heat up in embarrassment. Damn, had you really said that out loud?

Ling was silent a moment at your remark before cracking a slight smirk. “My, you’re forward.” He chuckled, his once more open eyes locking steadfast with yours.

Some part of you meant to protest the playful insinuation, but the objection caught in your throat. Instead you simply fought to suppress your blush as you returned his gaze, parting your lips as if to speak, but coming up silent. The tense stillness hung taut between your eyelines for a long moment before you broke away, coughing awkwardly. “U-um, I thought I talked to you about that...”

Ling faltered only a moment at your response before looking away, his apologetic smile accompanied by a somewhat resigned sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

Following that, you let a calm quiet settle between you as you continued your work. In time you completed his eyes, moving on to capture the curve of his brow leading down to his nose, to the shadows tracing the soft outline of his cheek. You were so deep in your focus, you didn’t even register how his eyes stayed open, studying your features as well.

“Alright, I’m starting on your mouth now, so try not to talk.” You muttered, zeroing in on your process. Ling nodded, miming the process of zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key.

It would be prudent of any scholar to develop ways of dealing with long hours of study, and you were no exception. You, for one, had learned to cope by completely entrancing yourself in whatever you were doing for a long enough amount of time. The impractical side of this habit came when there were things outside your momentary focus that it would really be best to be conscious of; for example, the knocked over lamp you’d just barely caught sight of in time to stop it from setting fire to your notes that one time, or Ling Yao’s quickening heartbeat as you switched rapidly between bending ever closer towards your sketchbook and bending ever closer towards his lips, inspecting both with the utmost academic diligence.

Unfortunately, you noticed this only as you realized that you were close enough to feel his warm breath brushing against your skin.

You shot back, jolting your head to the side as you let out a nervous cough. “OKAY, just about done with the mouth so you can talk again now!” you said, spitting out the words at a breakneck pace. You could only imagine how red you were at the moment, but right now, you didn’t really _want_ to imagine.

Ling appeared stunned for a brief moment, attempting to shake it off with a chuckle. “Sorry, I’d have told you you were getting a little close, but you _did_ say to be quiet after all.”

His comedic tone served to ease your embarrassment, at least somewhat. “Haha, yeah, I g-guess I did say that, huh...” you said, cracking a nervous smile as you tried to suppress your pounding heartbeat. “You’ve really gotta’ stop listening to all the things I say, I’ve found it causes a lot more harm than good.”

Your comment caught Ling’s attention, the corners of his lips raising lightly. “Alright, then I won’t listen to _that_ in particular. I like hearing what you have to say.” he laughed, cocking his head to the side.

His statement caught you off guard for a moment, your focus flitting back to the page before you. “Oh, you don’t have to say that...”

“Maybe not, but it’s true.”

You felt your heart skip a beat as his words reached your ears, and you had to curse yourself for the reaction, responding only with a mumbled ‘thank you’ as you resumed your sketching.

From that point on you made sure to measure your attention equally between portrait and subject, but that came with its own set of problems. suddenly you weren’t just inspecting bits and pieces, different attributes that fit together; you were looking at him, and he kept looking back at you with that smile of his, and you could feel the weight of him on your legs, hear the slow in and out of his breathing. It should have been nerve wracking, but strange as it was, you couldn’t help but find it calming somehow...

When the picture was finally completed, you weren’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.

“Aaand... done!” you chimed, putting on a gentle smile. “What’s the verdict?”

Ling perked up immediately, shifting to lay slightly more upright against the armrest. You turned the sketch pad to face him, and you watched his face light up in delight as he drew it closer with one hand. “Looks great!” he exclaimed, before a slight smirk crept over his lips. “Are you sure buttering you up so you’d draw me extra handsome didn’t work?”

You faltered at his response for a moment before letting out a short laugh. “Hey, give us both a little credit!”

Ling let out a contented hum, examining the drawing further. “It really is nice. If I do end up having to take you back to Xing, I’m sure you could make a decent living doing portraits for members of the court, if you wanted.”

“O-oh, I um— I think that might be a little above my pay grade.” You sputtered, rolling your pencil in your hands bashfully.

Ling shrugged, passing the drawing back to you. “Well, I’d hire you, anyway.”

You took it, smiling softly. “Thanks, Ling, that’s... that’s nice to hear.”

You held the sketch pad in front of you a moment, waiting for Ling to move. Instead, he simply shimmied back down to how he had been when you were working on the portrait. You hesitated a few seconds longer before addressing him.

“H-hey, um, Ling?”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to move?”

He lingered a moment in silence before responding. “Do you want me to?”

You blinked at his query. “N-no, I guess you’re fine. I just thought you might not want to stay, that’s all.” You lowered the sketch pad to rest against him once more, flipping the page. “...I might ask you to move later, though. In case I have to go do something else.”

“Whatever you say.” Ling said through a yawn, stretching his arms upward and folding them relaxedly behind his head. You flushed as the action caused his jacket to slide up his torso, exposing even more of his already excessively uncovered chest.

You poised the pencil in your hand, sighing gently. This wasn’t so bad, really; you had to admit you enjoyed the company. It was nice to be alone sometimes, but you’d already had a whole year of uninterrupted alone time. This, you thought, made for a refreshing change of pace.

-

Once again you had become lost in your focus, time slipping by unnoticed as the sun’s soft midday glow cooled into the gentle blue of twilight.

The dull scent of graphite wafted from the page before you as you held it out to examine your fine work— a sketch of a floating kingdom, suspended on giant propellers in a cloud-cushioned sky. The kindling for the idea had been a vague slip of memory, something from a dream you’d had at some point and had only just now gotten the chance to set alight upon a willing sheet of paper.

It was at this point you became aware of how you’d been straining your eyes against the growing darkness, an unwelcome reminder that whatever divine mechanisms had been set out to govern the flow of time were, indeed, still in working order. Your brow furrowed as your gaze fixed on your now ice cold cup of tea; another victim of your double-sided scholarly tendencies.

There was no doubt that Fu and Lan Fan would be home soon. They’d been around the apartment increasingly infrequently now that everyone had more or less settled into a routine, and now spent much of their days scouting out the busy streets for useful information regarding the philosopher’s stone, when they weren’t watching after Ling of course.

You usually liked to have dinner ready when they got back, but with how late it had gotten, it was unlikely you would be able to make good on that tonight. It would be the best you could do to get to work now, and perhaps you could at least have something started by the time they walked through the door.  
Your plans, however, were quickly put in delay as you registered a familiar weight across your lap.

“Hey, Ling?” you said softly, reaching over to place the sketch pad onto the coffee table in front of you. “I think I’m gonna’ need you to move n—“

You cut yourself off as you finally turned to fix your gaze on him.

He was asleep. He lay limply, his cheek pressing against the armrest as his slowed breaths slipped between parted lips, his arms folding loosely over his chest as it rose and fell in a gentle rhythm.

You couldn’t help but stare a little— he just looked so peaceful, his night-black bangs spiking freely over his relaxed features, eyelids just barely fluttering in the subtle indication of a dream.  
How long had he been out?

You felt a soft pink brushing over your cheeks as you gazed down at him. The sight awakened something soft in your chest; this was a far cry from the Ling who’d flinched away when you reached out to pluck a speck of fuzz from his shoulder, the one who you’d heard speaking in hushed tones about whether or not you could be trusted on account of your ‘chi’, a word to which you had still only been able to assign the fuzziest slip of a meaning. Now, here he was, Ling Yao, 12th prince of Xing, heir to the throne of a nation... draped across your lap, having drifted off into a peaceful slumber to the sound of your pencil softly scribbling away.

You looked down at him fondly, a light smile gracing your lips. Perhaps dinner could wait a little longer...

Suddenly, you heard the familiar click-squeak of the doorknob, and your blush grew deeper as the door creaked open to reveal Fu and Lan Fan, the pair having finally returned from their daily patrol. You watched as their eyes darted in tandem from you, to Ling, to each other, back to Ling, and then back to you again.

You gulped, shimmying nervously beneath the weight of the slumbering prince. “I, um... he wanted me to draw him!”

Fu looked on for just a moment before letting out a small sigh, raising a hand to massage his temple. “ _Yī yè zhī qiū..._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 一叶知秋 Trad. 一葉知秋  
> yī yè zhī qiū  
> lit. the falling of one leaf heralds the coming of autumn (idiom)  
> fig. a small sign can indicate a great trend
> 
> Hope y’all enjoyed the chapter, I’ll try and get the next one out in a timely fashion but finals is probably going to take a big chunk out of my work time. I’ve got it planned out tho, and trust me, it’s gonna be worth the wait!
> 
> Also, thanks so much for 500 hits!! The reception of this fic has been AMAZING, I’m so glad y’all are enjoying it! See you next time! :3


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